PRACTICAL  TEXT  BOOK 
OF  LITHOGRAPHY 

A  MODERN  TREATISE  ON  THE  ART  OF 
PRINTING  FROM  STONE 

BY 

WARREN  C.  BROWNE 

AUTHOR  OF  "METAL  PLATE  PRINTING." 


Price,  $2.50 


NEW  YORK : 
THE  NATIONAL  LITHOGRAPHER 

1912 


COPYRIGHTED,  1912 

BY 
WARREN  C.  BROWNE 


PREFACE 

object  of  the  following  treatise  is  to  furnish  both 
JL  the  amateur  and  professional  with  a  comprehen- 
sive text  book  which  can  be  understood  by  the  workers  in 
lithography  whether  they  have  enjoyed  a  college  education 
or  not.  There  are  several  lithographic  text  books  on  the 
market,  but  most  of  them  are  so  technical  that  the  layman 
cannot  understand  them,  and  even  the  technical  worker 
has,  at  times,  to  consult  a  dictionary  in  order  to  be  able  to 
grasp  the  meaning  of  the  author.  The  writer  has  under- 
taken in  the  following  pages  to  use  only  plain,  understand- 
able English.  Wherever  possible,  where  technical  phrases 
have  been  called  for,  there  have  been  substituted  equiva- 
lent phrases  of  the  plainest  English.  In  this  way  has  the 
Practical  Text  Book  of  Lithography  been  made  as  lucid  as 
it  is  possible  to  make  a  work  of  this  kind. 

In  offering  this  book  to  the  lithographic  workers  the 
writer  believes  that  he  is  benefiting  the  art.  He  makes 
no  pretense  of  originality,  because  the  process  was  dis- 
covered and  perfected  before  he  was  born,  but  there  has 
always  been  a  demand  for  a  concise,  clear  and  practical 
text  book  to  which  the  worker  could  turn  when  a  question 
arose  as  to  the  best  mode  of  procedure.  We  believe  that 
this  book  will  meet  that  demand. 

WARREN  C.  BROWNE 
New  York  City,  1912. 


203S77G 


TO  ALL 
WHO  SEE   IN   LITHOGRAPHY 

Art 

AND   DESIRE   ITS   DEVELOPMENT 
THIS   BOOK  IS   DEDICATED 


INDEX 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  I — Definition  and  Principles  of  Lithography 7 

CHAPTER   II — Preparing  the   Stone 11 

CHAPTER  III — Ink  Drawing  on  Stone 22 

CHAPTER  IV — Chalk  Drawing  on  Stone SO 

CHAPTER  V — Taking  Impressions  for  Transferring 66 

CHAPTER  VI — Methods    of    Transferring 73 

CHAPTER  VII — Lithography  on  Paper;  or,  Transfer  Lithog- 
raphy    79 

CHAPTER  VIII — Proving,  Rolling  Up  and   Printing 85 

CHAPTER  IX — Inks,  Varnishes  and  Dryers 94 

CHAPTER  X — Printing — Preparing  Ink  for  Use 107 

CHAPTER  XI — Printing — Defects   and   Remedies 113 

CHAPTER  XII — Chromo  Lithography — The  Key-Stone — Or- 
der of  the  Colors 120 

CHAPTER  XIII — Registering — Application    of    Principles 127 

CHAPTER  XIV— Tints    139 

CHAPTER  XV — Chromo-Lithography  —  Printing  —  Treatment 

of   Colors,   Dryers 150 

CHAPTER  XVI — Photo    Lithography — Modified    Processes...  162 
CHAPTER  XVII — Tracings  —  Autographic  Transfers  —  Re- 
versing   Transfers 169 

CHAPTER    XVIII — Labels  —  Bronzing  —  Gilding  —  Dusting  — 

Dabbing  Style   174 

CHAPTER  XIX — Engraving  on   Stone 178 

CHAPTER  XX — Zincography;  Its  Principles — Scraping,  Pol- 
ishing— Etching  Recipes  187 

CHAPTER  XXI — Cylinder  Press  Printing — The  Selection  and 
Care  of  a  Press — Inking  and  Damping  Rollers — 

The  Cylinder   and  Its   Covering 192 

CHAPTER  XXII— Preparation  of  the  Stone— Preparation  of 
the  Work — Etching  for  Machine  Printing — Inking 
—Distribution— Refreshening  the  Roller's  Surface 
— Quality  of  Ink — How  to  Reduce  the  Tenacity  of 

Ink— Setting  the   Stone 197 

CHAPTER  XXIII— Proper  Choice  of  Paper— Registering- 
Setting  a  Stone  for  Register — Color  Printing — 
Composition  and  Glazed  Rollers — The  Ink-duct — 

Defects   in    Ink-ducts 204 

CHAPTER  XXIV— Miscellaneous  Processes  and  Recipes 211 


CHAPTER   I. 
DEFINITION  AND  PRINCIPLES  OF  LITHOGRAPHY. 

THE  word  "Lithography"  is  formed  by  a  combination 
of  two  Greek  words,  the  first,  "Litho,"  meaning 
stone,  and  the  second,  "Graphy,"  meaning  to  write, 
and  the  free  translation  is  "to  write  on  or  from  stone." 
Lithography,  then,  is  the  act  of  writing  or  drawing  on 
stone  and  the  process  of  reproducing  such  writings  or 
drawings  on  paper  or  other  materials. 

There  are  two  separate  and  distinct  methods  of  pre- 
paring the  writings  or  drawings  for  reproductions  by  the 
lithographic  process.  The  first,  which  is  used  in  prac- 
tically all  commercial — or  black  and  white — work,  con- 
sists of  the  work  of  the  artist,  which  is  generally  done 
on  paper  in  the  regular  or  "positive"  way,  and  then  re- 
produced on  an  engraving  stone  by  the  engraver,  who  en- 
graves or  scatches  the  image  or  lettering  into  the  smooth 
surface  of  the  stone  in  reverse  or  "negative"  for  the  stone 
press  or  the  direct  printing  rotary.  For  the  rubber 
blanket  offset  press  the  engravings  are  made  direct  or 
"positive." 

When  the  engraving  is  finished  another  mechanic, 
known  as  the  transferrer,  takes  it  and  pulls  a  transfer  im- 


8  Practical  Text  Book 

pression  from  it,  which  is  laid  down  on  the  printing  stone 
or  plate,  ready  for  the  pressman  to  put  on  the  press  and 
run  the  edition  from. 

Another  method,  which  is  employed  very  largely  by 
poster  printers,  and  color  lithographers  in  general,  con- 
sists in  having  the  image  to  be  reproduced  made  directly 
on  the  printing  stone  or  plate  by  means  of  crayons  or 
pencils  made  expressly  for  the  work.  As  this  method 
of  lithography  requires  no  transfer  to  get  it  ready  for 
the  press  it  has  to  be  drawn  on  the  stone  or  plate  in 
a  negative  position — reversed  from  the  position  it  is  ex- 
pected to  occupy  in  the  printed  matter.  This  is  neces- 
sary because  in  printing  from  such  an  engraving  or 
crayon  drawing  the  image  or  other  matter  to  be  printed 
comes  from  the  stone  to  the  paper  in  exactly  the  oppo- 
site position  it  occupies  in  the  original  drawing. 

To  get  a  clear  idea  of  this  reversing  process,  write 
your  name  on  a  card,  using  plenty  of  ink.  Immediately 
press  a  blotter  over  the  words.  Pick  up  the  blotter  and 
you  will  see  your  name  written  in  reverse  where  it  comes 
into  contact  with  the  ink  on  the  card.  Now  hold  the 
blotter  before  a  mirror  and  you  will  see  your  name  re- 
flected "direct"  as  you  wrote  it  on  the  card.  Hold  the 
card  before  the  mirror  and  you  will  see  your  name 
reversed  as  on  the  blotter.  Draw  the  reverse  signature 
on  a  white  card,  using  plenty  of  ink  as  before,  and  press 
the  blotter  upon  the  fresh  ink.  The  impression  upon  the 
blotter  will  then  show  your  signature  direct,  as  you  al- 
ways write  it.  Upon  this  principle  of  reversing  impres- 
sions, together  with  the  known  properties  of  certain 


of  Lithography.  9 

substances  to  retain  or  reject  grease  and  water,  is  based 
the  whole  principle  of  lithography. 

It  is  this  printing  from  the  stone  or  plate  that  really 
constitutes  lithography.  It  was  the  discovery  of  Alois 
Senefelder,  of  Munich,  made  in  1796,  that  the  smoothed 
surface  of  a  closely  grained  limestone,  found  at  Solen- 
hofen,  Bavaria,  was  so  sensitive  that  it  would  absorb 
either  grease  or  water,  but  that  the  water  would  not,  of 
course,  penetrate  any  part  of  the  stone  that  was  covered 
by  the  grease.  Taking  advantage  of  this  fact  Senefelder 
drew  designs  with  greasy  crayons  on  the  stone  and  then 
dampened  the  entire  surface  with  water.  Then,  when 
printers'  ink,  to  which  a  little  grease  had  been  added,  was 
applied  to  the  surface  of  the  stone  it  was  found  that  the 
ink  only  adhered  to  those  parts  covered  by  the  crayon  de- 
signs, while  the  wet  surface  repelled  the  ink.  Pressing 
a  sheet  of  paper  on  the  surface  of  the  stone  he  received 
a  reversed  impression  of  the  original  design  which  was 
on  the  stone,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  blotter  showed 
your  name,  in  reverse.  Now,  if  the  design  on  the  stone 
had  been  reversed,  as  on  the  blotter,  the  impression  on 
the  paper  would  have  been  direct. 

It  is  found  most  practical  for  commercial  lithography, 
therefore,  in  printing  from  a  stone,  to  first  draw  the 
design  on  paper,  then  engrave  it  in  reverse  on  stone,  and 
then  transfer  it  to  the  printing  stone  by  the  use  of  trans- 
fer paper. 

Not  all  stones  will  absorb  ink  like  the  blotter,  nor  will 
they  reject  the  ink  when  they  are  wet.  Practically  the 
only  stones  ever  discovered  with  these  peculiar  charac- 


10  Practical  Text  Book 

teristics  are  those  fine  limestones  found  in  Solenhofen. 

While  the  discovery  or  invention  of  lithography  is 
generally  and  rightfully  ascribed  to  Senefelder,  it  is 
agreed  among  historians  that  Simon  Schmidt,  of  Ger- 
many, and  William  Blake,  of  England,  used  a  somewhat 
similar  process  nearly  twenty  years  previous,  but  Sene- 
felder was  nearer  the  quarries  of  Solenhofen  and  he 
developed  the  art  to  a  high  state  of  perfection.  Through 
pupils  and  apprentices  the  business  soon  spread  through- 
out Germany,  France  and  England,  and  was  later  brought 
over  to  America. 

For  many  years  after  its  discovery  lithography  was 
done  by  hand.  The  hand  press  is  still  used  for  proving 
and  occasionally  for  short  runs,  but  mechanical  ingenuity 
has  devised  fast  running,  steam  driven  presses,  on  which 
many  thousands  of  impressions  per  day  can  be  printed. 

The  most  modern  of  these  steam  driven  presses  is 
known  as  the  Rubber  Blanket  Offset  Press.  The  process 
used  on  the  offset  press  is  practically  the  same  as  for  the 
stone  press,  except  that  the  image  is  put  down  on  a  metal 
plate  from  which  it  is  transferred  in  the  operation  of 
printing  to  a  rubber  blanket  and  thence  to  the  paper. 


CHAPTER  II. 
PREPARING  THE  STONE. 

LITHOGRAPHIC  stones  are  compact  homogeneous 
limestones,  sawn  at  the  quarries  into  slabs  of  3  to 
4  inches  in  thickness  and  in  area  from  6x8  inches  to 
44x62  inches.  They  are  mostly  imported  from  Solen- 
hofen,  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  vary  in  color  from  a  light 
cream,  dull  yellow,  drab  or  gray  to  darker  shades  of  the 
same  colors.  The  light  tints  are  softer  than  the  dark, 
and  the  gray  are  harder  than  the  cream-colored  stones. 
Some  are  uneven  in  color,  having  light  and  dark  patches, 
which  render  them  unfit  for  drawings  of  which  the  artist 
requires  to  see  the  effect  he  is  producing  during  the 
progress  of  his  work;  but  for  ordinary  transfer  work 
this  appearance  is  usually  unimportant,  as  also  in  show- 
card  and  other  simple  ink-work.  Chalky  stones  have 
light  spots  scattered  about  in  patches,  or  these  may  occur 
all  over  the  stone ;  these  places  are  soft,  and  render  the 
stone  unfit  for  any  but  the  commonest  work,  and  should 
never  be  used  for  chalk  work,  because  the  acid  used  in 
etching  attacks  those  parts  with  greater  energy,  and  pro- 
duces similar  spots  in  the  impression.  For  the  same 
reason  they  must  not  be  used  for  etched  tints. 

Among  the  ordinary  defects  of  stones  may  be  men- 
tioned holes,  and  specks,  termed  pins.     The  latter  are 


12  Practical  Text  Book 

hard  points,  usually  of  a  dark  color,  but  are  not  of  very 
frequent  occurrence,  nor  of  much  disadvantage  in  use. 
Neither  chalky  stones  nor  those  having  holes  will  do  for 
engraving  upon. 

Veins  are  frequently  found,  some  of  which  are 
scarcely  visible,  while  others  are  not  only  broader  but 
sometimes  contain  patches  which  distinctly  show  their 
crystalline  character. 

While  any  stones  of  the  description  before  mentioned 
will  do  for  common  purposes,  great  care  should  be  exer- 
cised in  selecting  those  required  for  particular  work. 
This  advice  pre-eminently  applies  to  chalk-work,  in  select- 
ing stones  for  which  preference  should  be  given  to  those 
of  an  even  gray  or  drab  color;  and  though  these  are  not 
of  so  agreeable  a  tint  to  the  artist  as  the  lighter  ones,  yet 
experience  has  shown  them  to  be  the  best  for  the  purpose 
of  chalk  drawing. 

No  other  surface  yet  discovered  fulfils  the  necessary 
conditions  of  lithographic  drawing  and  printing  so  com- 
pletely as  the  Bavarian  limestone,  yet  other  substances 
are  in  use,  possessing  advantages  peculiar  to  themselves ; 
the  most  important  of  these  being  zinc  plates,  and  the 
chromatized  gelatine  films  used  in  the  Albertype  and 
other  kindred  photo-mechanical  printing  processes. 

Grinding. — Before  the  stone  can  be  used  it  requires  to 
be  ground  and  polished.  For  this  a  stone  trough  is  used 
as  a  convenient  rest  for  the  stones  during  the  operations 
of  grinding,  polishing,  and  graining,  and  as  a  receptacle 
for  the  waste  sand,  water,  etc.  It  should  be  emptied  at 
least  once  a  week.  Many  jobs  are  spoiled  through  want 
of  care  in  using  clean  water. 


of  Lithography.  13 

The  trough  may  be  made  of  wood,  il/2  to  2  inches 
thick,  and  about  1 1  inches  deep,  and  about  4  feet  by  3  feet 
in  area.     It  may  be  lined  with  zinc  or  lead,  preferably 
the  latter,  but  if  well  jointed  it  will  do  without  either,  as 
the  water   will  keep  the  wood  swollen.     It  should  be 
placed  on  a  strong  stand  about  18  inches  high,  and  if  the 
trough  be  ledged  at  the  bottom,  the  ledges  may  be  so  con- 
trived as  to  keep  the  trough  in  its  place  on  the  stand.    It 
is  better  to  have  the  trough  and  stand  made  separate,  as 
the  trough  is  then  easily  lifted  off  the  stand  if  required, 
while  it  can  be  made  equally  firm  as  when  constructed 
as  one  piece.    Four  or  five  cross  pieces  about  4x2  inches, 
notched  two  inches  deep  at  the  ends  on  the  under  side  to 
keep  them  in  place,  and  a  groove  across  on  the  upper  side 
about  2l/2  inches  from  their  ends  to  prevent  the  water 
running  over  the  trough,  will  serve  to  hold  the  stones 
during  the  operations  of  grinding,  polishing,  etc.    Where 
convenient,  the  water  should  be  applied  from  the  main  or 
a   tank,   terminated   nearly   opposite  the  centre  of   the 
trough  by  two  or  three  feet  of  india-rubber  pipe,  to  which 
should  be  attached  a  three-inch  nozzle.  Where  this  cannot 
be  done,  a  shelf  must  be  provided  for  a  bucket  of  water, 
and  a  jug  or  other  handy  vessel  kept  for  pouring  the 
water  over  the  stone.    A  tap  should  be  placed  in  a  con- 
venient position  about  two  inches  above  the  bottom  of  the 
trough,  by  which  the  water  can  be  drawn  off,  and  the 
sediment  may  be  taken  out  afterward  with  a  small  hand- 
shovel  or  similar  tool. 

Emery  and  flint  sand  are  both  used  for  grinding,  but 
for  a  finer  surface  French  red  sand,  an  importation  from 
the  Mediterranean,  is  used.  It  is  of  a  warm  creamy 
color. 


14  Practical  Text  Book 

The  Levigator  or  "Jigger"  is  an  instrument  of  cast 
iron  about  ten  inches  in  diameter,  with  holes  passing 
from  the  top  through  it.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  rim,  and 
has  a  handle  placed  eccentrically  at  about  one-fourth  the 
tool's  diameter  from  its  edge.  It  is  used  for  grinding 
purposes  by  strewing  sand  and  water  over  the  stone  and 
on  the  top  of  the  levigator,  which  is  then  set  in  motion  by 
grasping  the  handle  and  performing  rapid  circles  all  over 
the  stone  to  be  ground. 

Sieves  are  used  for  sifting  the  sand  previous  to  grind- 
ing and  graining.  They  are  of  fine  woven  wire  gauze, 
preferably  of  copper,  but  usually  of  brass,  mounted  in 
wooden  hoops.  They  must  be  carefully  kept  in  a  dry 
place,  as  they  are  very  easily  injured.  Damp  air  corrodes 
the  brass  and  makes  it  rotten.  If  a  few  broken  places 
occur,  they  may  be  repaired  by  gumming  over  the  holes 
with  small  pieces  of  paper,  or  otherwise  preventing  the 
sand  passing  through  such  faulty  places.  Sieves  are 
numbered  according  to  the  meshes  per  lineal  inch.  No.  60 
will  answer  well  for  ordinary  grinding  purposes,  pre- 
ceded, if  necessary,  by  No.  40,  when  much  grinding  has 
to  be  done.  No.  120,  the  smallest  size  made,  will  be 
necessary  for  ordinary  fine  grains,  and  No.  100  for 
coarser  grains. 

A  straight-edge  will  be  necessary  for  trying  the  sur- 
face of  the  stones.  A  very  useful  article  may  be  made 
by  selecting  a  piece  of  iron  three  or  four  feet  long,  two 
inches  wide,  and  one-quarter  inch  thick,  and  sending  it  to 
an  engineer  to  be  planed  along  one  edge,  so  that  it  will 
stand  upon  it.  A  stone  may  be  considered  true  enough  if 
a  small  piece  of  writing-paper  is  held  by  the  straight- 


of  Lithography.  15 

edge  at  each  of  several  places  along  its  edges  and  middle 
when  the  straight-edge  stands  upon  it. 

The  back  of  the  stone  should  be  tested  also,  and  made 
generally  level,  if  found  not  so.  Breakages  are  the  result 
of  inattention  to  this,  as  stones  break  in  most  instances 
by  reason  of  the  backs  not  fitting  the  bed  of  the  press. 
If  the  upper  and  lower  surfaces  of  a  stone  are  two 
parallel  planes,  no  amount  of  pressure  applied  in  printing 
will  break  it.  The  press  may  be  broken,  but  not  the 
stone.  Any  lumps  may  be  taken  off  the  back  with  the 
chisel  and  mallet,  and  if  necessary,  finished  by  the  leviga- 
tor.  Yet,  when  every  care  is  taken  with  the  back,  if  the 
face  is  not  parallel  to  it,  the  printer  may  by  clumsy  pack- 
ing reduce  it  to  the  condition  of  an  uneven  back,  and 
break  it  in  consequence. 

The  grinding  may  very  satisfactorily  be  done  without 
the  levigator  by  grinding  smaller  stones  on  larger  ones, 
moving  them  about  with  a  circular  motion,  and  keeping 
them  fed  with  sand  and  water,  having  first  one  side 
towards  the  grinder,  and  then  another,  going  over  the 
edges  and  corners  of  the  under  stone  to  prevent  the  latter 
becoming  hollow,  and  being  careful  not  to  allow  the 
stones  to  rest  for  an  instant  in  one  place.  If  not  kept  in 
motion  the  cohesion  may  become  so  strong,  owing  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  intervening  air  and  the  vertical  pressure 
of  the  atmosphere,  that  there  will  be  difficulty  in  separat- 
ing them.  Rub  the  last  lot  of  sand  down  finer  than  the 
previous  ones  and  that  will  save  time  in  the  next  opera- 
tion. Two  stones  containing  one  square  foot  each  should 
be  ground  on  a  stone  containing  two  square  feet,  and  so 
on  in  proportion;  but  if  the  under  stone  has  been  lying 


16  Practical  Text  Book 

with  the  ink  upon  it  longer  than  those  to  be  ground  above 
it,  a  proportionate  number  may  be  done  upon  it  as  a  com- 
pensation. After  completing  one  upper  stone,  try  the 
under  one  with  the  straight-edge,  and  use  the  next  stone 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  render  the  under  one  level.  This 
will  be  found  an  excellent  and  practical  method;  but 
where  the  stone  is  too  large  to  be  easily  moved  by  hand 
the  levigator  may  be  resorted  to. 

In  large  establishments  stone-grinding  machines 
driven  by  steam-power  have  been  adopted.  These  do 
their  work  in  a  very  satisfactory  manner,  but  they  must 
not  be  expected  to  keep  the  stone  perfectly  level  without 
care  and  intelligence  on  the  part  of  the  stone-grinder. 
The  stones  will  require  testing  with  the  straight-edge  the 
same  as  if  they  were  ground  by  hand.  Stone-grinding 
machines  usually  work  on  the  levigator  principle,  the 
chief  difference  between  them  and  hand-work  being  that 
in  the  machines  the  stones  are  kept  moving  as  well  as  the 
levigator ;  while  in  hand-grinding  they  are  stationary,  and 
the  levigator  only  is  moved.  In  a  machine  recently 
introduced  the  levigator  principle  is  omitted,  the  stone 
being  ground  face  downward  upon  a  revolving  iron  table. 
No  doubt  these  self-acting  mechanical  movements  are 
well  designed  for  keeping  the  stones  as  level  as  machinery 
is  likely  to  accomplish ;  but,  as  before  stated,  they  must 
not  be  relied  upon  entirely.  These  remarks  apply  very 
forcibly  to  stones  for  machine-printing.  The  cylinder  of 
the  printing-machine  cannot  be  adjusted  to  the  stone  as 
the  scraper  of  the  hand-press  may  be,  so  that  it  is  essen- 
tial for  equality  of  pressure  that  the  stone  be  true  on  its 
face,  even  if  its  upper  and  under  surfaces  are  not  strictly 
parallel. 


of  Lithography.  17 

Polishing  succeeds  the  grinding,  and  is  commenced  by 
taking  a  large  piece  of  pumice-stone,  filing  a  flat  piece  at 
right  angles  to  its  fibre,  and  rubbing  the  stone  with  it  and 
with  water  from  end  to  end,  or,  if  the  stone  be  too  large, 
across  it.  Take  the  pumice-stone  in  both  hands  and  press 
firmly  on  it  from  the  shoulders,  exerting  the  principal 
pressure  as  it  is  pushed  from  the  person,  which  should 
accompany  the  motion  of  the  hands.  Light,  quick  rub- 
bing has  very  little  effect.  The  use  of  the  pumice-stone 
must  be  continued  until  the  sand-holes  have  disappeared. 
The  scratches  caused  by  the  pumice  are  then  taken  out  by 
the  snake-stone,  known  also  as  Scotch  stone  or  water  of 
Ayr  stone,  which  is  used  in  a  similar  manner ;  but  instead 
of  keeping  a  flat  face,  a  kind  of  rocking  motion  is  applied 
in  using  it,  thereby  forming  a  curved  rubbing  surface  that 
cuts  more  quickly.  More  water  is  necessary  in  using  the 
snake-stone  than  the  pumice  requires,  because  the  ad- 
hesion is  so  great  that  the  fluid  is  pushed  before  it,  while 
the  pumice-stone  is  porous,  and  carries  the  water  with  it. 

A  finer  polish  may  be  given  by  using  a  woollen  pad 
and  finely  powdered  pumice-stone ;  but  the  other  method, 
when  well  done,  gives  a  sufficiently  good  surface  for  all 
kinds  of  work.  For  fine  ink-work,  engraving,  chalk 
transfers,  and  transfers  from  finely-engraved  plates  con- 
taining tinting,  there  should  be  no  scratches  seen  under  a 
magnify  ing-glass  of  such  a  power  as  is  ordinarily  used 
for  viewing  photographs,  etc. ;  but  for  the  general  run  of 
commercial  lithography  the  scratches  commonly  met  with 
are  of  no  importance.  The  same  remarks  apply  to  sand- 
holes,  which,  for  the  delicate  styles  of  work  before  men- 
tioned, should  be  carefully  looked  for. 


18  Practical  Text  Book 

Subsequent  to  the  grinding,  a  rasp,  followed  by  a  fine 
file,  is  necessary  to  give  the  stone  a  curved  edge  for 
about  half  an  inch  all  round,  finishing  with  pumice  and 
snake-stone,  which  should  be  kept  for  the  purpose,  be- 
cause the  edges  will  spoil  the  flat  surfaces  of  those  used 
for  the  flat-polishing.  In  stones  for  the  machine,  this 
part  requires  great  attention,  and  more  of  the  edge  should 
be  taken  away,  especially  on  that  side  that  conies  nearest 
the  grippers. 

After  polishing,  it  is  very  essential  that  the  stone  be 
thoroughly  washed. 

In  cases  where  a  stone  is  wanted  immediately  after 
polishing,  it  may  be  warmed  and  dried  very  rapidly  by 
pouring  hot  water  over  its  surface,  taking  care  not  to 
apply  too  much  at  a  time  at  one  place.  The  water  soon 
parts  with  its  heat;  and  when  the  stone  is  sufficiently 
warm  the  water  may  be  struck  off  with  the  squeegee. 
The  stone  will  then  dry  rapidly,  because  little  moisture 
remains  upon  it  to  be  evaporated. 

The  squeegee  consists  of  a  piece  of  india-rubber  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  thick,  about  two  inches  wide,  and  any 
convenient  length,  set  in  a  frame  with  about  one  inch  of 
its  width  projecting,  being  mounted  jwst  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  modern  ink-erasers  and  paper-cleaners. 
When  a  stone  is  polished  and  washed,  one  or  two  strokes 
of  this  instrument  will  denude  it  of  all  surface  water 
more  effectually  than  any  other  method,  and  it  is  far 
superior  in  every  way  to  either  the  use  of  blotting-paper, 
rag,  or  setting  the  stone  on  end  to  drain. 

This  is  all  the  preparation  needed  for  that  kind  of 
lithography  usually  called  "ink"  or  "line  work,"  which  is 


of  Lithography.  19 

executed  on  polished  surfaces,  but  for  chalk  or  crayon 
work  the  stone  must  be  grained. 

Graining. — Take  a  stone  free  from  all  veins,  marks, 
and  chalk-spots,  and,  if  for  best  work,  of  a  clear  gray  or 
Jark  drab  color.  Grind  it  and  pumice  it  free  from  any 
deep  scratches.  Now  take  a  piece  of  stone  similar  to  the 
one  to  be  grained,  about  three  or  four  inches  square,  with 
the  corners  and  edges  well  rounded  off  with  a  file.  From 
a  sieve  (No.  100  or  120,  according  to  the  grain)  sift 
sufficient  graining-sand  to  lightly  cover  the  surface; 
sprinkle  a  few  drops  of  water  over  it,  and  place  upon  it 
the  graining  "muller."  Move  this  about  with  a  motion 
describing  small  circles  along  one  edge;  then  return  at 
about  three  inches  from  the  edge ;  back  again  at  about  six 
inches  from  the  edge,  and  so  on,  until  the  stone  has  been 
gone  all  over.  As  the  work  is  proceeded  with,  more 
water  will  be  required;  and  as  the  sand  wears  out,  more 
of  that  will  be  needed.  If  the  stone  be  finished  off  with 
sand  that  has  been  but  very  little  worn,  it  will  probably 
produce  a  grain  too  coarse  and  sharp,  while  a  contrary 
result  will  follow  the  using  of  the  sand  for  too  long  a  time, 
the  grain  then  being  "flat." 

When  dry,  place  it  obliquely  at  a  window,  and  with  a 
magnifying  glass  seek  for  any  scratches.  A  scratch  or  two 
may  be  of  no  importance  in  some  jobs ;  in  such  case  con- 
sult the  artist,  who  will  know.  If  they  prove  vexatious, 
the  stone  must  be  gone  over  again.  The  stone  should 
now  be  of  a  vellum-like  texture  all  over,  and  the  artist 
may  try  the  grain  with  a  crayon  at  various  parts  of  the 
stone,  making  little  patches  of  light  tinting.  These  will 
not  often  interfere  with  the  work,  because  they  will 


20  Practical  Text  Book 

either  be  absorbed  in  deeper  tints,  or  may  be  scraped  out 
in  the  finishing.  If  the  artist  is  satisfied  with  the  grain, 
the  grainer's  work  is  done;  if  not,  it  must  be  sought  to 
know  what  the  defect  is. 

This  grain  is  most  essential,  not  only  in  giving  clear- 
ness of  texture  and  transparency  in  the  impressions,  but, 
by  reason  of  its  hardness  and  sharpness,  acting  as  a 
rasp  to  take  off  a  sufficient  quantity  of  crayon  to  give 
blackness  and  body  to  each  dot.  If  the  crayon  be  drawn 
over  a  polished  stone  and  over  a  grained  one,  it  will  be 
found  that  the  stroke  in  the  former  case  is  poor  and  gray, 
while  in  the  latter  it  is  bold  and  black.  The  former  is 
nearly  destroyed  by  an  etching  that  the  latter  will  stand 
well ;  for  this  reason,  it  is  desirable  to  have  a  sharp  grain. 

Good  results  have  been  obtained  by  a  method  of  grain- 
ing which  was  introduced  a  few  years  ago.  In  this 
process  the  grain  is  produced  by  sprinkling  the  surface  of 
the  stone  with  sand  and  rolling  it  with  small  glass  balls. 
These  balls  having  a  limited  area  in  which  to  work  exert 
a  continuous  cutting  power  without  any  tendency  to  pro- 
duce scratches.  Some  mechanical  arrangement  is  neces- 
sary to  impart  this  continuous  rolling  movement  to  the 
glass  balls  and  to  maintain  a  uniform  speed.  It  is  quite 
easy  to  understand  that  with  such  a  process,  carried  out 
under  favorable  conditions,  very  fine  results  might  be 
produced  with  great  rapidity. 

It  is  often  profitable,  instead  of  using  new  stones,  to 
grind  off  a  design  which  has  been  printed  and  which  is 
not  likely  to  be  wanted  again.  A  list  of  these  "dead" 
designs  should  be  in  the  hands  of  the  foreman  grinder, 
and  when  wanted  it  will  be  well  for  him  to  scratch  a 


of  Lithography.  21 

cross  deeply  into  the  stone,  making  the  scratch  deeper  in 
those  stones  that  have  been  standing  the  longest  with 
work  upon  them.  This  gives  the  stone-grinder  to  under- 
stand that  the  cross  must  be  ground  out.  It  is  a  simple 
matter  that  will  save  the  printer's  temper  and  the  master's 
pocket  by  insuring  the  thorough  grinding  of  the  stones. 
It  is  astonishing  to  what  a  depth  the  stone  is  affected 
by  the  greasy  particles  of  the  ink  without  being  percept- 
ibly greasy.  The  residuum  of  the  ink  acts  also  by  pre- 
venting an  equal  absorption  of  water  and  gum  with  the 
rest  of  the  surface,  so  that  this  part,  drying  soonest  and 
being  less  protected  by  gum,  favors  the  spreading  of  any 
work  that  might  have  been  drawn  or  transferred  over  it. 
It  is  very  annoying  to  the  artist  to  see  a  nice  even  chalk 
tint  spoiled  by  the  influence  of  the  old  job  causing  every 
speck  of  chalk  to  become  thicker  at  that  place;  very 
vexatious  to  the  master  who  has  perhaps  to  pay  for  a 
new  drawing,  and  very  discreditable  to  the  stone-grinder, 
whose  carelessness  has  been  the  cause  of  it. 


CHAPTER  III. 
INK  DRAWING  ON  STONE. 

WORK  IN  REVERSE.— The  principal  difficulty  ex- 
perienced in  drawing  and  writing  on  stone  arises 
from  the  necessity  of  reversing  the  work,  and  this,  con- 
joined to  the  drawbacks  of  always  having  to  trace  work 
to  the  stone,  and  the  great  bulk  and  weight  of  the  latter, 
places  working  on  stone  at  a  disadvantage  in  comparison 
with  transfer-paper;  on  the  other  hand,  the  accidents  to 
which  transfers  are  liable  cause  stone  to  be  more  gen- 
erally used  in  most  establishments. 

For  drawing  upon  stone  and  transfer-paper,  the  artist 
will  need  all  the  usual  appliances  of  the  draughtsman's 
office,  but  he  will  require  to  have  the  ruling  and  circle 
pens  in  more  than  usually  good  condition.  In  addition, 
he  will  require  brushes  and  pens  of  a  finer  character  than 
those  required  in  any  other  kind  of  drawing. 

Transfer-paper  is  more  suited  to  the  use  of  the  writing 
pen  than  stone ;  but  for  the  brush,  crayon,  and  mathemati- 
cal work,  the  surface  of  the  stone  is  to  be  preferred,  and 
it  will  hereafter  be  shown  that  it  allows  of  a  greater 
variety  of  work  than  the  transfer  method. 

Transfer-papers  are  prepared  by  coating  the  surface 
of  paper  with  gelatine,  starch,  or  gum,  either  singly  or  in 
combination,  or  united  with  other  substances.  The  object 


of  Lithography.  23 

of  this  coating  is  to  interpose  a  soluble  film  between  the 
writing  or  drawing,  in  lithographic  ink  or  chalk,  and  the 
paper.  Paper  being  more  or  less  porous,  would,  if  used 
alone,  absorb  some  of  the  ink,  instead  of  permitting  the 
whole  of  it  to  be  transferred  to  the  stone.  Hence  the 
necessity  of  covering  it  with  some  substance  which,  during 
the  process  of  transferring,  can  be  moistened  through  the 
back  of  the  paper,  which  is  then  peeled  off,  and  the  work, 
with  the  whole  or  part  of  the  mucilaginous  film,  left  upon 
the  stone. 

There  are  two  distinct  kinds  of  transfer-paper  for 
drawing  in  the  ink  style  and  writing,  one  prepared  on 
ordinary  paper  and  the  other  on  transparent  or  tracing- 
paper.  These  have  smooth  surfaces ;  but  the  transfer- 
paper  for  chalk  drawings  has  a  finely  granulated  surface 
adapted  for  receiving  the  lithographic  crayon.  There  are 
also  transfer-papers  for  taking  impressions  from  copper- 
plate, type,  and  designs  upon  stone,  to  be  transferred  to 
stone  for  the  convenience  of  printing  more  impressions  at 
once  than  that  obtainable  from  the  original  alone. 

Water  is  used  for  dissolving  the  ink  for  writing  or 
drawing  on  stone  or  paper ;  and  inasmuch  as  soap  is  used 
to  render  the  other  materials  of  the  ink  soluble,  it  is  im- 
portant that  hard  water  should  not  be  used,  but  distilled 
or  rain-water  filtered  through  blotting-paper.  A  four- 
ounce  bottleful,  with  a  nick  cut  in  the  side  of  the  cork  so 
that  it  may  be  shaken  out  a  drop  at  a  time,  will  last  for  a 
long  while  if  kept  for  the  purpose. 

Tracing-Paper  for  making  clean  and  neat  copies  of 
the  work  to  be  done,  and  red  tracing-paper  for  transfer- 
ring the  same  to  the  prepared  paper  or  stone,  will  be  re- 


24  Practical  Text  Book 

quired  by  the  artist.  The  qualities  and  uses  of  transfer- 
paper  are  fully  described  on  page  219. 

It  is  well  for  the  student  to  devote  a  certain  number 
of  hours  per  week  to  a  definite  study  of  lettering,  orna- 
mental designing  and  freehand  drawing.  In  the  first  in- 
stance it  will  train  the  perceptive  faculties  and  draw  out 
such  talent  as  may  exist.  A  thorough  knowledge  of 
forms,  shapes  and  values  can  only  be  obtained  by  close 
training.  In  lettering,  the  Roman,  Old  English  and  Script 
forms  should  be  studied  and  practiced,  and  in  ornamental 
designing  small  forms,  such  as  flowers,  leaves  and  chain 
work,  are  highly  useful  and  decorative.  In  drawing  from 
life,  the  ideal  proportions  of  the  human  face  and  figure 
should  be  thoroughly  impressed  on  the  memory  of  the 
student,  and  each  slight  variation  from  those  ideal  values 
or  standards  should  be  immediately  noticed  and  recorded. 

A  study  of  the  ideal,  as  exhibited  in  the  casts  and 
statues  found  in  all  art  rooms,  can  not  but  be  of  great 
service  to  the  student.  The  public  demands  art  in  all 
forms  of  lithographic  work,  but  with  the  artistic  value 
thoroughly  evident,  the  public  also  demands  that  all  work 
be  pleasant  and  attractive  to  the  eye. 

This  can  only  be  accomplished  by  a  thorough  study  of 
ideal  forms,  and  a  subsequent  training  to  that  of  the  art 
school  can  be  found  in  all  outdoor  life.  The  step  here 
should  advance  from  black  and  white  to  colors.  A  great 
assistance  to  a  knowledge  of  proper  color  mixing  can  be 
obtained  by  the  use  of  a  simple  box  of  water-colors ;  six 
colors  with  white  and  black  are  ample  for  this  purpose. 

The  Tracing. — In  proceeding  to  work  upon  stone,  the 
student  must  bring  himself  to  acknowledge  and  appreciate 


of  Lithography.  25 

the  value  and  importance  of  a  good  and  correct  Tracing, 
and  feel  assured  that  nothing  can  be  gained  by  neglecting 
so  essential  an  aid  to  success.  It  is  made  either  in  pencil 
or  ink,  placed  in  the  reversed  position  upon  the  stone, 
and  the  red  chalk  tracing-paper  with  its  prepared  side 
downward,  is  interposed  between  it  and  the  stone.  The 
corners  are  now  gummed,  pasted,  or  held  down  by  paper- 
weights (avoiding  the  use  of  wafers),  and  the  work 
traced  over  with  a  3-H  pencil,  or  other  hard  tracing  point, 
until  a  facsimile,  in  red,  of  the  tracing,  is  transferred  to 
the  stone.  In  this  manner  all  kinds  of  work  are  put 
upon  the  stone  in  faint  red  outline  for  whatever  purpose 
it  may  be  required,  and  whether  the  stone  be  polished  for 
drawing,  or  grained.  Other  methods  of  tracing,  applica- 
ble to  photographs,  pictures,  and  subjects  requiring  great- 
er transparency  than  ordinary  tracing-paper  possesses  will 
be  found  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  Miscellaneous  Proc- 
esses. 

The  tracing  having  been  made,  the  student  may  pro- 
ceed to  apply  the  ink  by  which  the  stone  is  made  capable 
of  multiplying  the  artist's  ideas.  This  ink  may  be  applied 
either  by  the  brush,  steel  pen,  or  the  mathematical  pen. 

To  Prepare  the  Ink. — Take  a  small  white  delft  or 
china  saucer  or  a  small  tin  patty-pan  about  three  inches  in 
diameter,  and  having  warmed  it  at  the  fire  or  over  the  gas 
until  it  is  as  hot  as  it  can  well  be  borne  in  the  hand,  rub 
the  stick  of  ink  round  and  across  it  so  as  to  cover  it  thinly. 
Then  out  of  a  bottle  shake  a  few  drops  of  water,  and  with 
the  second  finger  of  the  right  hand  rub  it  until  the  ink  is 
dissolved.  Then  add  more  water  cautiously,  until  it  is 
brought  to  a  proper  consistency  for  use,  which  can  only  be 


26  Practical  Text  Book 

learned  from  an  adept,  or  by  experience.  If  it  is  very 
pale  and  flows  too  freely,  it  is  too  thin  and  may  not  trans- 
fer properly;  if  too  thick  it  will  not  work  pleasantly,  and 
will  spread  in  transferring.  As  a  rule  thinner  ink  may 
be  used  with  the  writing-pen  than  with  the  brush.  When 
the  brush  only  is  used,  put  a  small  bit  of  ink  in  the 
upper  part  of  a  saucer  placed  upon  a  slope,  and  a  little 
water  in  the  lower  part.  The  brush  may  then  be  dipped 
in  the  water,  rubbed  upon  the  ink,  and  tempered  upon  the 
dry  portion  of  the  saucer  until  it  becomes  fit  for  use. 

Tusche. — The  most  useful  of  all  inks  for  writing  or 
drawing  on  stone  come  under  the  name  tusche.  This 
ink  was  originated  by  Senefelder  and  has  now  been 
brought  to  great  perfection  by  Lemercier,  of  Paris,  and 
Korn  of  New  York.  The  proportions  are,  practically 
speaking,  standard,  and  contain  four  parts  wax,  four 
parts  shellac,  four  parts  tallow,  four  parts  soap,  and  one 
part  lamp-black.  In  the  making  of  this  ink  great  care 
must  be  exercised,  as  an  improper  combination  or  an  ex- 
cessive burning  would  ruin  the  mixture.  The  purpose 
of  these  different  ingredients  is  to  make  an  ink  which  can 
be  rubbed  down  with  water  and  used  with  either  the 
brush  or  pen,  and  it  is  of  such  a  nature  that  it  will  pene- 
trate the  stone,  changing  its  composition  to  oleo  margarate 
of  lime,  and  at  the  same  time  drying  with  a  firm,  glossy 
surface  which  will  perfectly  resist  the  action  of  the  first 
etching  solution. 

Lithographic  Brushes  are  good  red  sable  crow-quill 
pencils,  with  a  portion  of  the  hair  cut  away  all  round,  so 
as  to  allow  only  the  central  part  to  be  used.  If  any  single 
hair  protrudes  beyond  its  neighbors,  the  brush  will  not  be 


of  Lithography.  27 

good,  but  this  may  in  part  be  remedied  by  wetting  it  and 
passing  it  rapidly  through  a  gas  flame  to  burn  it  off,  the 
wetting  protecting  the  rest  and  exposing  the  single  hair 
only  to  the  flame.  It  is  not  every  pencil  that  will  make 
a  good  brush,  so  that  when  one  is  obtained  it  should  be 
treasured.  It  is  well  to  possess  some  half-dozen  or  more, 
as  a  brush  that  will  not  do  for  one  purpose  may  do  very 
well  for  another.  Brushes  are  made  that  are  intended  to 
be  used  without  cutting,  but  they  are  generally  made  of 
too  fine  hair,  and  are  not  sufficiently  springy  and  elastic. 
Some  artists  make  up  their  own  brushes  by  cutting  off 
portions  of  a  larger  red  sable  pencil  and  tying  them  to 
suitable  pieces  of  cedar-wood  and  then  mounting  them 
by  any  convenient  means.  A  practical  method  of  prepar- 
ing the  brush  is  to  dip  it  in  gum-water,  draw  it  to  a  fine 
point,  and  let  it  dry  hard,  remove  the  outer  hair  with  a 
sharp  penknife  to  the  degree  thought  necessary  and  wash 
out  the  gum.  This  often  produces  a  first-class  brush, 
but  the  method  has  the  disadvantage  of  not  permitting  it 
to  be  tried  at  intervals  during  the  operation.  No  more 
hair  should  be  removed  than  is  necessary  to  produce  a 
brush  suited  to  the  particular  work  in  hand. 

A  ready  mode  of  mounting  brushes  is  to  attach  them 
to  pieces  of  wood  in  such  a  way  that  a  quill  may  be  used 
as  a  cover  to  protect  them  when  not  in  use,  and  to  form 
the  handle  when  required.  This  is  similar  to  some  pocket 
penholders,  which,  by  the  way,  may  be  adapted  to  the 
same  purpose. 

In  addition  to  the  brushes  used  in  drawing  and  writing 
with  the  lithographic  ink,  others  of  a  coarser  kind  (duck 
and  crowquill  red  sables)  will  be  required  for  various  pur- 


28  Practical  Text  Book 

poses,  such  as  "stopping  or  gumming-out,"  making  col- 
ored sketches,  etc. 

A  flat  camel-hair  brush  about  two  inches  wide  will 
also  be  wanted  to  remove  any  loose  particles  of  dust  or 
dirt  from  the  surface  of  the  stone  or  transfer-paper  while 
at  work. 

Lithographic  Pens. — All  ordinary  pens  are  useless  for 
any  of  the  finer  purposes  of  lithography,  such  as  circular 
and  ornamental  writing  and  drawing. 

If  the  work  is  not  very  fine,  Perry's  pens  will  be  found 
to  answer  the  purpose,  and  they  may  be  further  im- 
proved by  delicately  sharpening  them  on  Arkansas  oil- 
stone. 

The  use  of  steel  pens  was  known  in  the  early  days  of 
the  lithographic  art,  and  the  mode  of  making  them  is 
thus  described  by  M.  Bregeaut  in  a  work  published  in 
1827,  and  by  Senefelder  in  1819,  in  his  "Complete  Course 
of  Lithography."  The  language  differs,  but  the  descrip- 
tion is  even  fuller. 

"Take  a  watch  spring,  and  get  rid  of  any  grease  that 
might  have  adhered  to  it,  by  rubbing  it  with  some  fine  sand 
or  a  soft  piece  of  pumice-stone;  place  it  in  a  dish,  and  pour 
on  it  equal  parts  of  nitric  acid  and  water;  allow  the  acid 
to  act  on  the  steel,  until  it  has  lost  three-quarters  of  its 
thickness,  and  is  reduced  to  about  the  substance  of  a  sheet 
of  paper. 

"During  the  action  of  the  acid,  the  spring  must  be  taken 
out  occasionally  and  wiped  with  a  rag,  to  render  the  action 
more  equal. 

"When  of  the  proper  thickness,  the  spring  must  be  well 
washed  and  wiped,  and  cut  into  lengths  of  about  one  inch 
and  a  half.  Each  piece  must  now  be  rounded  in  the  shape 
of  a  gouge,  by  placing  the  steel  on  a  piece  of  cardboard 
laid  upon  a  lithographic  stone,  and  striking  the  steel  with 
the  small  end  of  a  hammer,  lengthways;  by  this  operation 
the  steel  will  take  a  curl. 


of  Lithography.  29 

"A  small  and  sharp  pair  of  scissors  must  now  be  taken 
and  the  slit  made  with  them  at  one  extremity  of  the  piece 
of  steel ;  each  side  of  the  pen  must  next  be  shaped  with  the 
scissors :  the  difficulty  of  the  operation  consists  in  forming 
each  nib  perfectly  equal  and  with  a  very  fine  point :  great 
practice  is  required  in  making  a  good  steel  pen." 

Steel  of  the  proper  thickness  for  such  pens  may  now 
be  obtained  of  dealers  in  lithographic  supplies.  It  is  a 
good  plan  to  put  the  steel  between  a  wooden  holder  and  a 
quill,  so  that  when  a  new  pen  is  required  the  steel  may  be 
drawn  down,  the  old  nibs  cut  off,  and  new  ones  made. 

In  forming  these  pens  a  pair  of  small  forceps  will  be 
found  useful  in  setting  the  nibs  in  their  proper  position. 

With  these  instruments  almost  any  kind  of  work  may 
be  accomplished  that  partakes  of  a  freehand  character. 
To  use  them  properly  requires  considerable  practice ;  but 
a  few  hints  may  assist  the  tyro  who  is  making  his  first 
attempts.  The  brush  must  be  dipped  into  the  ink,  the 
superfluity  removed  by  drawing  it  over  the  edge  of  the 
saucer,  and  a  point  finally  given  to  it  by  patting  it,  as  it 
were,  upon  a  piece  of  smooth  paper,  the  thumb-nail,  or 
other  similar  clean  surface.  It  may  now  be  applied  to 
the  stone  to  produce  what  the  draughtsman  requires.  It 
must,  to  produce  fine  lines,  be  held  so  that  only  the  ex- 
treme point  touches  the  stone.  At  first  the  student  may 
content  himself  by  placing  the  stone  in  such  a  position 
that  he  can»make  the  lines  by  drawing  the  brush  towards 
him.  He  will  soon  find,  however,  how  far  this  system 
may  be  departed  from,  and  that  some  brushes  will  permit 
of  much  greater  freedom  of  manipulation  than  will 
others.  Thicker  lines  may  be  drawn  by  greater  pressure 
upon  the  brush,  more  being  required  as  the  ink  in  it 


30  Practical  Text  Book 

approaches  exhaustion.  On  account  of  the  delicate  struc- 
ture of  the  brush,  the  ink  in  it  will  require  frequent 
renewal,  and  much  patience  will  be  wanted  on  the  part  of 
the  young  artist,  who  will  in  all  probability  be  tempted  to 
work  faster  than  consistent  with  the  object  aimed  at,  this 
manipulation  of  the  brush  to  bring  it  into  working  condi- 
tion occupying  a  considerable  amount  of  time. 

In  tinting,  the  student  should  not  endeavor  to  make  a 
long  line  at  once,  but  to  effect  his  object  by  a  series  of 
short  ones.  In  doing  this,  however,  he  must  avoid  making 
ugly  gaps  between  each  set,  though  good  effects  are  some- 
times produced  by  leaving  such  places,  and  afterwards 
stippling  them.  The  study  of  good  bold  etchings  by  some 
first-class  engraver  on  copper  will  do  much  towards  form- 
ing a  good  style ;  but  the  peculiarities  attending  this  style 
of  drawing  should  never  be  lost  sight  of.  The  etcher  on 
copper  and  steel  has  this  advantage:  he  can  re-bite  his 
work,  and  make  it  darker  if  his  first  proof  is  not  satis- 
factory; but  the  lithographer  must  get  the  effect  he  de- 
sires before  he  passes  the  stone  to  the  printer  for  proof. 
Nevertheless  he  has  the  advantage  of  easily  getting  heavy 
masses  of  black,  which  he  can  lighten  either  with  steel  or 
diamond  points,  and  thus  produce  effects  similar  to  wood- 
cuts. 

Tinting  by  means  of  irregular  waved  lines  is  easier  to 
perform  than  by  straight  lines,  and  the  effect  is  good  if 
suitable  to  the  subject.  Mathematical  precision  of  course 
must  be  avoided,  but  it  must  be  done  with  some  amount 
of  regularity  to  look  well.  The  convex  side  of  any  curve 
in  a  line  must  not  be  opposite  the  convex  side  of  its 
companion  line,  but  opposite  its  concave  side,  so  that 


of  Lithography.  31 

though  the  lines  may  be  really  irregular,  yet  the  general 
effect  may  be  that  of  parallelism. 

The  steel  pen  spoken  of  in  a  preceding  paragraph 
may  also  be  used,  and  will  be  found  especially  useful  in 
foregrounds,  near  foliage,  etc. 

The  mathematical  steel  pen  will  at  first  require  much 
practice  and  attention  to  master  it  so  that  very  fine  lines 
may  be  made  with  it;  but  this  tool,  as  also  that  for 
making  circles,  is  of  the  very  greatest  importance  in  all 
branches  of  lithographic  drawing;  therefore  it  is  quite 
essential  to  master  any  difficulties  that  it  may  present. 

It  is  usual  among  lithographic  draughtsmen  to  put  in 
any  dotted  lines  with  a  continuous  stroke  of  the  pen, 
and  afterwards  to  scrape  them  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
make  dotted  lines  of  them.  While  fully  admitting  the 
neatness  of  this  method,  we  must  be  permitted  to  point 
out  some  attendant  defects. 

1.  The  scraping  is  liable  to  be  omitted. 

2.  If  insufficiently  scraped,  the  lines  roll  up  again; 
and,  if  deeply  scraped,  the  proofs  show  an  unpleasant 
embossing  at  that  part.    And 

3.  They  often  look  too  thin  and  ineffective  when  one 
half  the  line  is  thus  taken  away. 

In  consideration  of  these  points,  we  rarely  make  use 
of  the  method,  as  we  find  no  difficulty  in  dotting  them  as 
we  proceed,  with  good  ink  of  proper  consistency.  If  the 
ink  be  too  thin,  all  ruled  lines  have  a  tendency  to  run 
thick  at  the  end  of  the  stroke  when  using  the  ruling  pen, 
and  this  is  aggravated  when  making  the  short  strokes  of 
dotted  lines.  The  student  may  therefore  make  this  a  test 
when  preparing  his  ink. 


32  Practical  Text  Book 

The  learner  may  find  it  useful  to  have  the  margin  of 
the  stone  to  practise  upon,  but  it  is  not  to  be  recom- 
mended to  the  practical  lithographer.  If  the  edges  are 
gummed  over  with  thin  gum  before  commencing  it  will 
save  the  printer  a  good  deal  of  trouble. 

To  assist  the  student  in  reversing  his  drawing,  he  will 
require  a  looking-glass  of  any  convenient  size.  It  should 
have  a  piece  of  wood  or  other  contrivance  attached  to  its 
frame,  by  which  it  may  be  made  to  stand  pretty  securely 
on  its  edge.  A  finely  polished  steel  or  silvered  copper 
plate,  or  a  piece  of  glass  silvered  by  the  chemical  method 
will  be  found  superior  to  ordinary  looking-glass,  as  there 
is  then  only  one  reflection,  while  when  the  ordinary  mer- 
curial silvering  is  used  there  are  two — one  from  the  me- 
tallic surface  and  another  from  the  outer  glass  surface. 

Writing  on  Stone  for  Circulars  must  of  course  be 
reversed,  and  the  first  essays  of  the  learner  may  be 
assisted  by  tracing;  but,  as  tracing  for  this  purpose  is 
inadmissible  for  real  work,  the  sooner  it  is  laid  aside  for 
the  next  stage,  the  better. 

Proceed  by  sketching  out  rapidly  in  pencil,  or  paper, 
the  words  of  the  circular,  so  as  to  see  how  much  space  it 
will  occupy. 

Now  lay  out  and  mark  a  space  on  the  stone,  and,  hav- 
ing fixed  upon  the  size  of  the  letter,  rule  the  stone  with 
the  before-mentioned  tool  into  a  series  of  double  lines,  to 
correspond  to  the  sketch.  Across  these  rule  any  conven- 
ient number  of  single  lines  at  an  angle  with  them,  of  from 
45  degrees  to  50  degrees,  as  a  guide  for  the  slope  of  the 
letter.  Now,  having  first  obtained  a  good  specimen  of 
copper-plate  or  lithographic  writing,  by  the  help  of  the 


of  Lithography.  33 

mirror  consult  its  reversed  position,  and  carefully  copy 
each  letter  by  means  of  a  fine  lithographic  brush.  It  will 
be  as  well  to  sketch  them  out,  but  more  especially  the 
capitals,  by  the  help  of  the  pin-points,  and,  as  confidence 
is  gained,  sketch  the  capitals  only.  It  will  be  found  that 
both  the  up  and  down  strokes  of  the  writing  must  be 
made  with  down  strokes  of  the  brush;  make  the  down 
stroke,  and  then  add  the  up  stroke.  Much  practice  will 
be  necessary,  and,  as  the  plan-draughtsman  on  stone  must 
be  able  to  letter  backwards,  it  will  be  only  a  further 
extension  of  his  skill  to  be  enabled  to  write  a  circular. 

When  the  lithographic  student  has  mastered  the  diffi- 
culty of  writing  backwards,  and  is  able  to  produce  a 
decent  circular,  he  may  proceed  to  do  without  such  of  the 
before-described  helps  as  his  skill  will  permit  of. 

It  is  not  necessary  always  to  write  directly  on  the 
stone. 

In  this  case  we  will  first  take  up  a  prepared  sheet  of 
transfer  paper  No.  I,  fasten  it  with  thumb  tacks  to  a 
drawing  board  and  rule  in  straight,  equal  lines,  about 
one-half  inch  apart.  Use  a  good  grade  of  writing  paper. 

Using  a  new,  clean  pen  in  a  suitable  holder,  and  with 
a  bottle  of  autographic  ink.  A  stone  should  be  prepared 
by  grinding  with  emery  or  flint  and  then  Schumacher 
stone,  then  pumice  stone  and  Scotch  stone.  When  thor- 
oughly cleaned  with  pure  water  and  put  on  end  to  dry,  it 
is  fit  for  use. 

The  press  being  ready,  cleaned  off,  oiled,  and  in 
thorough  order,  a  good  black  roller,  scraped,  and  freshly 
mixed  ink  easily  at  hand,  the  stone  should  be  put  in  the 
press. 

3 


34  Practical  Text  Book 

A  suitable  scraper,  which  has  been  made  to  size  of 
stone,  is  tested  by  laying  the  edge  of  same  on  stone.  By 
looking  between  the  surface  of  the  stone  and  the  edge  of 
the  scraper,  any  inaccuracies  of  the  scraper  will  be 
readily  seen.  The  surfaces  can  be  made  to  fit  by  rub- 
bing the  edge  of  the  scraper  on  No.  3  sand  paper. 

A  good  way  is  to  place  a  clean  sheet  of  paper  on  face 
of  stone,  then  the  sand  paper,  and,  by  moving  the  scraper 
backward  and  forward  using  moderate  pressure,  a  fairly 
true  edge  will  be  obtained. 

A  piece  of  scraper  leather  about  an  inch  wide  and 
about  two  inches  larger  on  each  end  than  the  scraper,  is 
soaked  in  water  and  then  tightly  stretched  over  the  face 
and  tacked  at  either  end,  the  smooth  side  being  placed 
toward  wood  and  the  rough  side  out.  Two  sheets  of 
super  paper  used  as  a  backer,  and  a  sheet  of  thin  zinc 
used  as  tympan,  will  complete  the  preparation. 

A  suitable  pressure  having  been  obtained  by  lowering 
or  raising  the  impression  screw,  the  surface  of  the  stone 
should  be  dampened  with  spirits  of  turpentine,  using 
only  a  clean  rag  for  that  purpose. 

With  the  sheet  dampened,  and  the  turpentine  spirit 
evaporated,  the  circular  should  be  placed  face  down  on 
the  stone  in  a  suitable  position,  either  for  hand  or  power 
work,  and  pulled  once  through  the  press  with  stiff 
pressure. 

It  will  then  be  found  adhesive  only  in  a  slight  degree 
to  the  stone,  and  should  be  lifted  off  and  the  stone 
"gummed  in"  with  gum  arabic  solution. 

When  dry,  the  gum  can  be  washed  from  the  stone, 
using  a  clean  sponge.  Then  by  means  of  dampening  the 


of  Lithography.  35 

stone  and  inking  up  with  the  black  roller,  previously  pre- 
pared, the  written  lines  will  have  shown  themselves  to  be 
capable  of  taking  up  the  ink  from  the  roller. 

As  the  gum  has  penetrated  the  stone  where  there  was 
no  writing,  these  parts  will  remain  clean,  and  so  long  as 
properly  dampened  will  repel  ink. 

When  the  written  part  has  been  firmly  inked,  it  may 
be  dusted  with  finely  powdered  resin  to  protect  it  from 
the  action  of  the  acid  solution,  which  is  next  applied  to 
the  whole  surface  of  the  stone. 

The  gum  itself  is  sufficient  preparation  to  keep  the 
stone  clean  for  possibly  five  or  six  impressions.  The 
addition  of  nitric  acid  makes  this  preparation  more  sure, 
and,  with  careful  working  up,  five  hundred  impressions 
can  be  made  from  the  single  etch. 

The  use  of  a  camel's  hair  brush  for  the  purpose  of 
etching  is  to  be  commended,  as  camel's  hair  can  withstand 
the  acid  for  a  longer  period  than  any  other  brush  we 
know  of,  and  at  the  same  time  is  always  soft  and  will  not 
harm  the  most  delicate  lines  of  drawing,  if  properly 
taken  care  of. 

The  acid  solution  should  now  be  removed  from  the 
stone  by  washing  with  clean  water,  and  stone  gummed  in, 
when  it  is  ready  for  printing. 

The  purpose  of  this  repeated  gumming  is  to  prevent 
any  grease  from  coming  in  contact  with  and  soiling  the 
surface  of  the  stone. 

The  gum  not  alone  penetrates  the  stone  but  also 
forms  a  coating  on  its  surface  retentive  of  water. 

When  dry,  the  gum  may  be  again  washed  from  the 
surface  with  water,  the  ink  washed  out  from  the  trans- 
ferred circular  by  turpentine. 


36  Practical  Text  Book 

A  little  water  is  then  added,  and  the  rag  used  to  wash 
the  ink  out  lightly  moved  over  the  stone,  thereby  impart- 
ing a  little  of  the  ink  to  the  drawing. 

The  roller  may  now  be  smartly  passed  over  the  stone, 
and  as  long  as  the  stone  is  kept  slightly  but  uniformly 
dampened  the  gummed  surface  will  refuse  to  ink,  and 
the  transferred  part  will  take  it. 

Suitable  marks  being  then  drawn  on,  or  scraped  in 
the  stone,  as  a  guide  to  the  correct  position  of  the  sheet, 
the  paper  may  now  be  laid  to  those  markings,  the  backer 
placed  over  same,  the  tympan  placed  over  the  backer,  the 
press  pushed  forward,  pressure  applied  by  bringing 
down  the  lever  to  a  proper  position ;  then,  by  placing  the 
left-hand  palm  uppermost  and  the  right-hand  palm  down- 
ward on  handle,  press  may  now  be  pulled  through  for 
the  making  of  the  print  or  impression. 

Experience  shows  that  the  more  uniformly  the  stone  is 
dampened,  and  that  the  more  rapidly  it  is  rolled,  the 
better  are  the  results. 

After  three  or  four  sheets  have  been  made,  the  work- 
man should  as  nearly  as  possible  count  the  number  of 
times  required  in  passing  roller  over  the  stone  to  get  good 
results.  The  same  holds  good  of  dampening  by  hand. 

With  respect  to  the  question  as  to  which  method 
(stone  or  transfer)  is  best  in  practice,  it  will  usually 
happen  that  the  subject  is  practically  beyond  the  control 
of  the  employer.  He  may  have  a  clever  general  hand,  and 
must  be  guided  by  his  attainments,  while  if  he  engage  a 
circular-writer  the  probability  will  be  that  he  will  be  a 
transfer-writer.  The  general  question  may  be  disposed  of 
by  saying  that  the  transfer  method  is  quickest,  but  more 


of  Lithography.  37 

liable  to  accident ;  while  the  writing  upon  stone  is  usually 
more  firm,  will  yield  perhaps  more  impressions,  and  is 
liable  to  no  accident  that  is  not  equally  likely  to  happen  to 
a  transfer  after  it  is  upon  the  stone. 

Ornamental  lettering  may  be  practiced  in  a  similar 
way,  but  all  large  letterings,  etc.,  should  be  treated  as 
drawings,  a  complete  sketch  being  made  and  traced  to 
stone.  They  are  to  be  outlined,  in  their  straight  parts, 
with  the  ruling  pen,  and  the  large  letters  on  show-cards, 
etc.,  may  advantageously  have  the  compass-pen  employed 
upon  their  curved  portions. 

White  letters  upon  a  black  ground  are  produced  by 
using  a  mixture  of  gum-arabic  solution  and  vermilion 
acidulated  with  a  little  nitric  acid.  It  must  be  made  as 
wanted,  because  when  once  dry  it  cannot  be  properly  re- 
dissolved  by  reason  of  a  chemical  change  in  the  gum  pro- 
duced by  the  action  of  the  nitric  acid.  The  more  acid  is 
added  to  the  solution  the  more  decided  is  the  subsequent 
insolubility.  Experience  must  be  the  guide  for  the  pro- 
portion of  gum,  pigment  and  acid. 

Perfection  will  be  attained  in  the  mixture  when  it 
works  pleasantly,  and  shines  upon  the  stone  after  drying. 
The  letters  are  to  be  made  with  this  preparation.  If  the 
letters  are  of  a  kind  to  admit  of  the  proceeding,  it  will  be 
found  very  advantageous  to  first  rule  a  strong  line  at  the 
top  and  bottom  of  the  line  of  lettering,  in  litho.  ink.  The 
gum  mixture  not  dissolving,  the  ink  will  not  penetrate 
through  it  to  the  stone,  and  the  result  will  be  a  straight- 
ness  and  definition  which  could  not  be  hoped  for  without 
such  assistance.  When  dry  they  are  to  be  covered  over 
with  litho.  writing-ink  dissolved  in  spirits  of  turpentine  or 


38  Practical  Text  Book 

other  convenient  fatty  matter.  When  the  job  is  complete 
and  put  into  the  hands  of  the  printer,  the  water  will  dis- 
solve the  gum  and  leave  the  letters  clear  upon  a  black 
ground,  the  result  being  not  only  more  rapid  but  more 
satisfactory  than  when  the  ground  is  painted  in  and  the 
letters  are  left  white  upon  the  stone. 

Stopping  out  for  transferred  machine  ruling  is  ef- 
fected in  a  similar  manner,  but  no  acid  must  be  used, 
because  it  would  partially  obliterate  the  drawing  over 
which  it  was  necessary  to  put  it.  It  is  useful  in  plan 
and  other  work  where  lines,  &c.,  are  required  which 
would  involve  great  skill  and  occupy  much  time  to  put 
in  by  hand,  but  are  easily  and  expeditiously  transferred 
from  machine  ruled  and  dotted  plates.  Vermilion  and 
gum,  free  from  acidity,  is  painted  over  all  parts  of  the 
drawing  that  are  not  to  be  covered  with  the  machine 
work  in  question,  and  when  dry,  and  a  mark  put  upon 
the  stone  to  indicate  the  direction  of  such  lines,  dottings, 
&c.,  it  is  handed  over  to  the  printer,  who  transfers  a 
suitable  impression,  which  unites  with  the  stone  in  those 
parts  only  that  are  uncovered.  When  the  stone  is  washed 
with  gum-water,  if  the  operations  have  been  properly 
performed,  the  effect  will  be  that  the  gummed  portions 
remain  quite  clean,  and  the  transferred  lines,  &c.,  will 
almost  equal  copper-plate,  and  be  very  far  superior  to 
what  hand-work  could  possibly  accomplish. 

The  Sprinkled  Method  is  effected  by  taking  a  quantity 
of  litho.  writing  ink  in  a  tooth,  nail,  or  other  similar 
brush,  and  drawing  it  across  the  blade  of  a  table-knife 
or  other  like  instrument,  over  that  part  of  the  stone  to  be 
sprinkled.  The  sprinkling  is  confined  to  proper  limits  by 


of  Lithography.  39 

having  all  other  parts  "gummed  out."  When  the  first 
light  tint  is  sufficiently  strong,  the  parts  required  to  be 
kept  at  that  strength  are  "gummed  out,"  and,  after  dry- 
ing, the  process  may  be  repeated  until  the  desired  effect 
is  obtained.  The  operation  requires  care,  and  trial  should 
be  made  (at  each  renewal  of  ink  in  the  brush)  upon  a 
piece  of  paper,  to  be  sure  that  the  dots  are  of  the  desired 
size  and  distance  apart.  The  less  ink  in  the  brush  the 
finer  the  dots,  and  the  nearer  it  is  held  to  the  stone  the 
closer  they  will  be  together.  The  ink  for  this  process 
should  have  the  minimum  quantity  of  soap  to  render  it 
soluble,  and  therefore  less  tendency  to  dissolve  and  pene- 
trate the  gum  protection. 

The  cases  in  which  this  style  may  be  used  must  be 
left  to  be  decided  by  the  taste  and  discretion  of  the  artist,. 

One  grave  defect  of  the  process  is,  that  though  a  trans- 
parent gum  solution  may  be  used,  yet  the  effect  cannot 
be  observed  during  the  operation,  because  all  is  covered 
alike  with  the  dottings,  the  gum  protecting  the  several 
stages.  It  is  only  when  the  gum  is  washed  away  that  the 
effect  is  seen ;  if  then  it  is  not  what  is  desired,  it  may  be 
remedied  by  going  over  again  where  necessary — first 
preparing  the  stone. 

Stippling  is  a  species  of  engraving  which  is  ef- 
fected by  a  series  of  dots  instead  of  lines.  The  word  has 
a  similar  meaning  in  water-color  painting.  Though  a 
process  more  peculiarly  adapted  to  chromo-lithography, 
it  may  be  occasionally  employed  in  the  more  modest  ink- 
style  now  under  consideration.  It  yields  a  very  soft  and 
pleasing  effect  when  introduced  to  tone  the  harshness 
of  unhached  line-shading  by  stippling  minute  dots  be- 


40  Practical  Text  Book 

tween  the  lines.  The  dots  should  be  in  proportion  to 
the  lines  among  which  they  are  placed,  never  thicker  if 
possible.  When  the  dots  are  desired  to  be  very  fine, 
they  may  be  done  with  the  brush ;  but  the  pen,  of  various 
degrees  of  fineness  in  the  nibs,  will  be  found  a  most 
efficient  tool  for  the  medium  and  larger  one. 

When  a  graduated  effect  is  to  be  produced  by  stip- 
pling alone,  the  dots  must  be  fine  and  open,  followed  by 
others  larger  and  more  close,  until  they  approach  a  solid 
black. 

Roundness  of  dot  and  succession  of  them  in  lines  are 
to  be  avoided,  as  producing  hardness  of  effect.  If  a 
good  stippled  engraving  be  examined  by  a  magnifying 
glass,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  dots  are  triple  ones,  which 
conduces  much  to  the  softness  of  effect  observable  in  this 
style. 

Corrections  on  Polished  Stones  in  Process  of  Work 
are  almost  invariably  made  with  a  sharp  mezzotint 
scraper.  Sharpness  of  the  knife  is  essential  to  taking  the 
work  perfectly  out  without  going  deep  into  the  stone, 
which  must  not  be  done,  because  the  pressure  would  be 
taken  off  at  that  part  in  the  printing.  The  part  scraped 
out  is  certainly  not  so  pleasant  to  work  upon  as  before, 
but  yet  when  neatly  done  the  work  may  be  put  in  again 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  draw  no  attention  to  it  as  a  cor- 
rection. The  over-running  of  lines  at  corners  and  junc- 
tions is  removed  by  this  means,  and  lines  are  usually 
dotted  by  the  scraper  after  being  drawn  continuously. 

Where  the  alteration  required  occupies  much  space, 
and  the  nature  of  the  work  will  permit,  the  best  way  will 
be  to  take  the  snake-stone  and  polish  the  stone  where 


of  Lithography.  41 

necessary,  when  of  course  it  may  be  treated  in  the 
same  manner  as  if  no  work  had  been  upon  it.  Small 
snake-stone  pencils,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  square,  will 
be  found  useful  in  getting  at  small  portions,  and  by  means 
of  a  file  they  may  be  made  of  any  convenient  size  and 
shape  at  point.  Such  pieces  may  also  be  used  for  finally 
polishing  the  stone  after  scraping. 

A  lithographic  nap-roller  facilitates  the  work  of  de- 
velopment of  original  drawings  on  stone,  and  becomes  an 
absolute  necessity  when  crayon  drawings  on  grained 
stones  are  operated  upon.  The  preparation  and  preserva- 
tion of  a  roller  of  this  description  require  a  more  than 
average  amount  of  care  and  attention.  The  best  rollers 
are  covered  with  French  calf -skin  with  a  soft,  velvet- 
like  nap,  and  may  be  prepared  as  follows.  Run  the 
roller  in  crude  castor  oil  for  a  short  time  until  the  leather 
becomes  soft  and  pliable,  then  work  out  the  superfluous 
oil  by  repeated  rolling  in  medium  varnish,  occasionally 
scraping  off  the  varnish  with  a  broad  blunt  knife.  Con- 
tinue this  for  a  day  or  two,  then  gradually  work  into  the 
skin  some  good  non-drying  black  printing  ink.  The  roller 
thus  prepared  may  be  somewhat  harsh,  but  a  few  days' 
use  will  bring  it  into  condition.  An  occasional  applica- 
tion of  tallow  or  lard,  say  about  once  a  week,  will  keep 
the  roller  skin  soft  and  pliable,  and  counteract  the  harden- 
ing effect  of  constant  contact  with  the  damp  surface  of 
the  lithographic  stone  and  the  oxidization  of  the  printing 
ink. 

Proving  the  work  of  the  lithographic  artist,  though 
not  always  an  absolute  necessity,  is  a  helpful  and  most 
important  function.  In  its  progressive  stage  it  enables 


42  Practical  Text  Book 

both  designer  and  lithographer  to  observe  the  realization 
of  their  color  schemes,  and  to  amplify  or  minimize  if 
necessary  the  effects  they  desire  to  produce.  Errors  of 
judgment  or  of  detail  can  be  rectified  before  the  work 
reaches  a  more  advanced  stage.  Again,  a  finished  proof 
offers  something  of  a  tangible  character  for  an  expres- 
sion of  approval  or  disapproval,  and  serves  as  a  useful 
and  helpful  guide  to  the  printer  throughout  the  subse- 
quent operations. 

This  will  show  clearly  the  importance  of  the  prover's 
work,  and  though  it  is  not  by  any  means  an  unusual 
proceeding  to  prove  up  even  the  most  elaborate  designs  in 
the  lithographic  printing  machines,  it  is,  for  obvious 
reasons,  more  convenient  to  confine  such  work  to  the 
press.  It  may  therefore  be  regarded  as  an  intermediate 
operation,  distinctly  apart  from  the  preparation  of  the 
original  drawing  which  precedes  it,  and  the  arrangement 
for  machine  printing  which  follows.  The  distinctive  and 
pre-eminently  the  most  important  feature  of  proving  is 
the  manner  in  which  one  color  is  registered  with  another ; 
and  although  the  methods  usually  adopted  are  of  the 
simplest  possible  character,  the  most  scrupulous  care  is 
requisite  for  their  successful  application.  It  appears  to 
be  an  almost  ridiculous  plan,  so  simple  is  it,  to  cut  away 
the  angles  formed  by  the  register  lines  after  the  first 
printing,  and  then  to  place  them  to  corresponding  lines 
on  each  color  form,  or  to  pierce  the  register  lines  pass- 
ing a  fine  needle  through  each  puncture  into  correspond- 
ing holes  drilled  in  the  stones  and  allowing  the  sheets  to 
fall  into  position  — yet  these  operations  demand  constant 
care  and  attention. 


of  Lithography.  43 

Corrections  and  additions  after  rolling  up. — When 
an  addition  is  to  be  made  in  a  place  where  there  is 
room  to  use  the  scraper,  remove  the  surface  with  that 
instrument  and  put  in  the  addition  with  litho.  ink. 

When  previous  work  has  to  be  removed  polish  it 
out  with  the  snake-stone  if  there  be  room;  if  not,  use  a 
sharp  scraper,  and  be  sure  the  old  work  is  well  cleared 
away. 

When  additions  have  to  be  inserted  among  the  work 
and  none  is  required  to  be  removed,  a  mode  altogether 
different  had  better  be  employed.  Without  entering  into 
the  subject  of  printing,  to  which  it  properly  belongs,  it 
will  be  advisable  to  lay  down  the  theory  on  which  the 
method  depends. 

a.  In  all  lithographic  printing  the  stone  is  varnished,  as 
it  were,  with  a  solution  of  gum  arabic  which  dries  not  only 
on  but  in  its  surface,  and  is  there  held  so  tenaciously  that 
no  amount  of  washing  with  plain  water  will  remove  it 

b.  This  coating  of  gum,  filling  up  the  pores  of  the  surface, 
prevents  the  absorption  of  ordinary  litho  ink  unless  it  con- 
tains  an  amount  of  soap  more  than   usual.     This   is   some- 
times  added   to  make  work   "stand,"  but  it  spoils  the  good 
working  qualities  of  the  ink. 

c.  It  is  evident  this  coating  must  be  removed,  and  any- 
thing  that    will    dissolve    carbonate    of    lime    (of   which    the 
stone    principally    consists)    and    will    not    dissolve    the    ink, 
may  be  used  for  preparing  the  stone  previous  to  retouching, 
because   if   the    surface   of   the   stone    be   dissolved    the   thin 
gum  coating  dissolves  with  it. 

Most  acids,  and  some  salts,  will  effect  this  purpose, 
but  choice  is  given  to  the  weaker  acids  of  vegetable 
origin,  which  form  soluble  salts  with  lime.  Acetic  acid 
is  an  old  favorite,  but  citric  acid  is  preferable,  and  may 
be  used  as  follows: 

Roll  up  the  job  as  for  an  impression,  wash  it  well  to 


44  Practical  Text  Book 

free  it  of  all  gum  that  can  be  removed  by  that  means, 
using  hot  water  by  preference;  dry,  and  apply  with  a 
camel-hair  brush  of  a  convenient  size  the  solution  of 
citric  acid  of  such  a  strength  as  to  taste  a  little  weaker 
than  lemon  juice;  watch  it,  and  if  bubbles  of  gas  arise 
at  once  it  is  too  strong,  and  must  be  washed  immediately 
with  clean  water.  If  of  the  proper  strength  it  may 
remain  about  a  minute,  when  it  must  be  washed  with 
clean  water.  The  ink  must  now  be  removed  by  pulling 
two  or  three  impressions  from  the  one  inking,  so  that  the 
artist  in  working  upon  it  shall  have  no  superfluous  ink 
to  attach  to  his  "hand  paper"  to  be  carried  about  and  soil 
the  stone.  Any  touching-up  or  additions  may  now  be 
done  with  ordinary  lithographic  ink,  which  will  now  be 
found  to  work  nearly  as  pleasantly  as  upon  a  newly 
polished  stone. 

All  sponges,  &c.,  used  in  this  process  must  be  scrupu- 
lously clean,  or  success  can  not  be  expected. 

Solutions  of  alum  and  common  salt,  or  sal  ammoniac, 
or  both  combined,  form  very  good  washes  for  clearing 
the  stone  from  gum,  and  they  probably  act  not  only  by 
dissolving  but  by  bringing  away  the  gum  as  the  salts 
crystallize.  A  very  practical  method  for  the  printer  who 
requires  a  job  touched  up,  is  the  following: — After  clean- 
ing the  work,  roll  it  up  pretty  full,  and  etch  with  per- 
fectly clean  nitric  acid  and  water  and  clean  sponge, 
which  will  remove  the  gum  at  the  same  time;  well  wash, 
and  take  off  a  couple  of  impressions  without  re-inking. 
When  dry,  send  it  to  the  artist  to  have  the  corrections 
made.  Gum  the  stone,  and  allow  it  to  dry,  when  the 
job  may  be  proceeded  with. 


of  Lithography.  45 

Precautions  to  be  Observed  in  Drawing  on  Stone. — • 
All  the  cautions  given  regarding  the  handling  of  transfer- 
paper  apply  equally  to  the  stone;  but  the  stone  being 
a  better  conductor  of  heat  than  paper,  and  of  greater 
bulk,  condenses  the  breath  of  the  artist  upon  it  in  cold 
weather,  causing  him  to  waste  time  in  drying  the  stone. 
It  is  recommended  to  place  the  back  of  the  stone  to  the 
fire  the  first  thing  in  the  morning,  and  allow  it  to  get 
moderately  warm  through,  when  it  will  be  found  to  keep 
free  from  this  peculiar  annoyance  for  the  rest  of  day; 
whereas  if  the  face  had  been  warmed  to  the  same  degree 
only,  it  would  have  rapidly  cooled  again.  If  it  is  incon- 
venient to  warm  the  stone  in  the  manner  described,  a  piece 
of  cardboard,  about  4  in.  by  3  in.,  of  an  oval  shape,  and 
a  bit  of  twine  passed  through  two  holes  in  it  about  i^ 
in.  apart,  and  by  this  held  between  the  teeth  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  cover  the  mouth  and  nostrils,  will  effectu- 
ally prevent  the  condensation  of  the  breath  upon  the 
stone. 

a.  In  drawing  upon  stone,  remember  that  friction  is  pro- 
portionate to  pressure :   therefore,   let  ruling  pens  glide  over 
the  surface,  free  from  the  weight  of  the  hand  and  arm. 

b.  The  parallel  ruler  must  not  rest  on  the  stone,  but  on 
pieces  of  cardboard  or   folded  paper.     If  the   work   is  small, 
take    a    piece    of    cardboard    and    cut    a    circular,    square,    or 
oblong   hole   in   it,   and   use   it   as   a    shield   and   rest   for  the 
ruler,  &c. 

c.  Keep  the  side  of  the  pen  that  slides  against  the  ruler 
scrupulously    free    from   ink,    and    for    fine    lines   the    outside 
also,   so  that   the   space   between   the   nibs   only   may,   if  pos- 
sible,  determine  the  breadth  of  the  line. 

d.  To   set   the   ruling  and   compass   pens,   rub  them   on 
Arkansas  oilstone ;   examine  them  carefully  with   an  eyeglass 
after   wiping  off  the   oil,  holding  the  pen   in   such  a  manner 
that    the    light    from    the    nib    ends    is    reflected    to    the    eye : 
when    each    nib   is    reduced    to    an    equal    thinness    and    equal 


46  Practical  Text  Book 

length,  they  may  be  polished  on  a  piece  of  leather  having  a 
little  crocus  on  it.  The  nibs  being  already  comparatively 
thin,  care  muse  be  taken  that  they  are  not  rubbed  too 
violently,  or  an  unequal  length  and  breadth  will  be  the  result. 
If  this  happens,  bring  them  to  an  equal  length  by  a  motion 
on  the  oilstone,  as  if  ruling  lines,  previously  to  bringing  them 
to  an  equality  of  thinness.  The  Arkansas  oilstone  should 
not  be  mounted,  because  on  such  a  one  it  will  not  be  possible 
to  get  at  both  nibs  of  a  spring  bow  pen.  A  useful  stone  for 
the  work  may  measure  about  4  x  il/2  x  ^  inches. 

Lettering  and  Drawing  on  Paper. — It  is  advisable 
that  the  student  should  cultivate  his  judgment  and  also 
bring  about  the  necessary  skill  needed  in  his  business 
by  a  proper  co-relation  of  the  eye  and  hand.  For  this 
purpose  the  simplest  form  is  the  drawing,  enlarging  or 
reducing  of  the  approved  alphabets  on  paper. 

For  this  purpose  Roman,  Old  English  and  Script  and 
the  book  of  alphabets,  old  and  new,  showing  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  varieties  from  Greek,  Egyptian  and 
Hebrew  to  modern  German,  French  and  English  forms, 
will  be  found  of  much  value. 

Having  mastered  these  forms,  word-grouping  should 
be  practiced,  and  with  diligent  application  harmonious 
forms  will  be  created,  which  will  not  only  be  of  practical 
value,  but  will  also  prove  of  benefit  to  the  student  and  if 
special  ability  is  shown  will  open  the  path  to  promotion 
in  the  engraving  and  designing  departments. 

Gelatine  Shading  Films. — In  connection  with  alpha- 
bets and  lettering  as  a  whole,  the  shading  machine  is  of 
valuable  aid.  In  its  principle  the  shading  machine  con- 
sists, first,  of  a  plate,  generally  of  gelatine,  sewn  into  a 
frame  of  wood,  on  which  are  impressed  a  series  of  dots 
or  lines,  as  many  as  250  different  patterns  being  available 
made  by  one  maker. 


of  Lithography.  47 

This  frame  is  set  into  a  plate  with  adjustable,  pivoted 
hinges,  these  hinges  being  set  into  a  steel  rod  of  the  width 
of  the  artist's  table,  the  rod  being  held  up,  and  adjustable 
in  height,  by  a  pair  of  small  cast-iron  posts. 

The  gelatine  film  is  placed  over  a  pad,  and  the  up- 
raised design  on  the  surface  is  inked  up  by  means  of 
small  composition  rollers. 

A  good  grade  of  transfer  ink,  or  an  especially  quick 
drying  ink  may  be  used. 

The  place  where  the  dots  should  be  impressed  can 
easily  be  seen  through  the  gelatine  film,  the  stone  being 
generally  "stopped  out"  with  a  gum  solution  previous  to 
putting  in  the  shading. 

A  more  simple  way  is  to  outline  the  desired  portion 
with  gum  and  acid,  a  small  piece  of  twisted  paper,  a 
bone  folder,  a  piece  of  wood  or  the  point  of  the  finger 
may  be  used  to  rub  down  the  pattern  at  the  pleasure  of 
the  artist. 

Where  two  rulings  are  wanted  to  cross  one  another 
this  can  be  done  by  powdering  the  first  ruling  with  soap- 
stone  powder,  then  impressing  the  second  ruling  in  the 
desired  position. 

Should  rosin  be  used  instead  of  soapstone  powder, 
the  gelatine  film  on  the  second  application  will  be  found 
to  have  removed  some  of  the  rosin  and  ink  as  well. 

Should  neither  soapstone  nor  rosin  be  used,  the  sec- 
ond application  of  the  film  will  be  found  to  have  left 
the  second  pattern  strong  and  the  first  pattern  weak, 
which  would  cause  an  unequal  effect  to  the  completed 
design  when  etched  and  prepared. 

Soapstone  powder  is  best  where  more  than  one  ruling 


48  Practical  Text  Book 

is  being  put  to  the  stone,  for  the  reason  that  it  takes 
away  any  suction  or  adhesiveness  that  might  exist  be- 
tween the  freshly  printed  ink  and  the  gelatine,  and  at 
the  same  time  acts  as  a  fair  resist  to  the  etching  acid. 
By  means  of  using  two  or  more  varieties  of  these  gela- 
tine films,  nice  results  may  be  obtained. 

In  many  establishments  the  mechanical  films  as  they 
are  termed  are  used  almost  exclusively  on  calendars, 
show-cards  and  label  work.  Many  cigar  and  perfume 
labels,  except  for  a  little  hand  work  in  the  darker  shad- 
ing colors,  are  made  entirely  by  means  of  this  apparatus. 

We  do  not  wish  to  convey  the  impression  that  the 
mechanical  films  are  superior  in  artistic  results  or  fine- 
ness of  execution  to  the  diamond  point  of  the  ruling  ma- 
chine, to  the  engraving  needle,  to  fine  stippling,  or  to 
the  air  brush,  but  for  practical  utility,  clearness  and  sure- 
ness  of  printing  results  and  technic,  the  gelatine  films 
have  a  large  place  in  the  lithographic  trade. 

Great  care  should  be  taken  in  the  keeping  of  the 
films  clean  and  clear;  no  water  should  be  allowed  to 
touch  them,  as  at  that  point  they  would  swell  and  pos- 
sibly break.  The  best  way  to  cleanse  them  without  in- 
jury is  to  wash  them  carefully  with  either  turpentine 
or  benzine,  using  a  tooth  brush  to  carefully  cleanse  the 
ink  from  between  the  dots  or  lines  of  the  embossed  de- 
sign, and  drying  carefully  with  a  soft  linen  rag ;  a  cotton 
rag  would  answer,  except  that  linen  will  not  be  as  liable  to 
catch  on  the  rough  design,  and  so  cause  smutting  in  the 
subsequent  inking  up. 

A  slab  and  roller  used  to  ink  up  the  film  should 
always  be  kept  covered  with  a  suitable  material.  A 


of  Lithography.  49 

simple  cover  can  be  made  from  cardboard,  and  a  more 
durable  one  from  either  wood  or  zinc.  This  will  keep  the 
dust  from  settling  on  the  ink  or  roller,  and  so  tend 
to  decrease  the  annoyance  caused  by  finding  white  specks 
in  the  work  after  having  been  rubbed  down. 

Drawing  from  Still  Life,  Casts,  etc. — A  step  in  ad- 
vance from  the  work  on  the  alphabet  is  the  drawing  of 
still  life,  etc.,  and  then  the  drawing  from  casts,  first  in> 
simple,  then  complex  forms,  and  thence  to  the  ideal, 
and  antique  sculptures. 

While  the  student  may  have  no  natural  aptitude  ins 
this  branch  of  work,  the  persevering  and  striving  for  at- 
tainment cannot  but  prove  beneficial,  while  to  the  person 
of  natural  ability  this  will  be  but  a  step  in  the  direction 
of  artistic  perfection. 

Even  the  ability  to  draw  the  simplest  forms  can  be 
utilized  in  the  making  of  decorative  design,  many  of 
the  best  designs  owing  much  to  their  simplicity  of  execu- 
tion. While  this  training  is  not  expected  to  turn  out  a 
Michael  Angelo,  Rubens  or  Millet,  still  any  talent  which 
a  person  may  possess  may  be  made  profitable,  if  devel- 
oped. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
CHALK  DRAWING  ON  STONE. 

IT  will  be  observed  that  heretofore  our  work  has  been 
executed  on  polished  stones  and  has  been  done  in 
ink  or  line  work.  We  now  take  up  the  more  artistic 
branch  of  lithography,  sometimes  known  as  crayon  work. 
By  this  means  the  expert  artist  on  stone  is  enabled  to 
reproduce  the  works  of  the  great  painters  in  a  manner 
equal  to  the  original  conceptions,  and  they  may  be  multi- 
plied so  cheaply  that  the  most  unpretentious  cottage 
may  be  supplied  with  a  copy  of  the  life  work  of  an 
artist  painted  to  embellish  a  temple  of  worship  or  adorn 
the  walls  of  a  monarch's  castle. 

Instead  of  being  polished,  the  surface  of  the  stone  is, 
for  this  kind  of  work,  broken  up  into  minute  points, 
technically  called  "a  grain,"  which,  when  drawn  upon, 
receives  the  lithographic  chalk  in  proportion  to  the  pres- 
sure employed.  This  is  called  graining  and  is  fully  de- 
scribed in  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  preparation  of  the 
stone. 

Crayon  Drawing  on  Stone. — By  this  manner  fine  ar- 
tistic results  are  achieved.  By  crayon  in  combination 
with  pen  and  ink  and  stipple  work,  many  of  the  colored 
lithographs  now  produced  in  the  United  States  are  exe- 
cuted. Its  advantages  are  in  the  freedom  with  which  the 
artist  can  work  on  the  grained  stone,  which  also  permits 


of  Lithography.  51 

the  super-imposition  of  various  colors,  blending  them 
harmoniously  when  thus  printed,  without  any  apparent 
mechanical  texture,  allowing  many  varieties  of  tone  to 
be  produced  from  a  few  plates  and  printings. 

In  distinguishing  this  method  from  pen  and  ink  work 
which  is  uniformly  executed  on  a  polished  or  smooth  sur- 
face, the  crayon  manner  is  worked  on  a  grained  or  rough- 
ened surface ;  this  is  produced  by  selecting  a  stone  of  good 
quality,  free  from  chalk  spots  or  veins,  which  is  pol- 
ished in  the  usual  manner,  and  treated  as  follows: 

French  sand,  flint  sand  or  a  finer  grade  of  emery 
(according  to  the  quality  of  grain  required)  are  sifted 
evenly  over  the  surface,  using  a  sieve  of  not  less  than 
sixty  meshes  to  the  square  inch,  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
water  sprinkled  over  the  sand  and  a  small  stone  called 
the  graining  stone  placed  thereon,  which  is  carefully 
worked  in  small  circles  completely  over  the  surface  of 
the  stone  to  be  grained ;  while  performing  this  operation, 
the  sand  must  be  kept  moderately  wet,  by  sprinkling  the 
surface,  and  the  graining  qualities  of  the  sand  maintained 
by  fresh  additions,  the  purpose  required  being  an  even  and 
uniform  texture  to  the  whole  stone. 

A  stone  finished  with  comparatively  fresh  sand  will 
be  sharp  and  open  grained,  if  finished  with  worn  out  or 
slushy  sand,  will  be  flat  and  shallow  in  grain,  for  all 
medium  sized  work,  a  grain  which  is  sharp,  clean  and 
even  without  being  deep,  is  best ;  when  finished  it  should 
be  regular  and  as  clear  on  the  edges  as  on  the  center 
of  the  stone.  With  practice,  and  by  combining  French 
and  flint  sands  in  different  portions,  grained  surfaces  for 
the  purpose  intended  can  readily  be  produced. 


52  Practical  Text  Book 

When  finished,  the  stone  should  be  thoroughly  washed 
with  running  water,  taking  great  care  that  all  sand  is 
removed,  then  tilted  upon  its  side  to  drain  and  dry — 
the  quality  of  the  grain  should  then  be  tested  by  the 
artist,  trying  the  corners  with  the  flat  side  of  a  crayon, 
when  if  satisfactory,  it  is  ready  for  the  outline  or  offset 
to  be  placed  thereon;  this  is  done  in  the  same  manner 
as  for  engraving  or  ink  work,  and  is  then  ready  for 
working  by  the  artist. 

All  the  precautions  in  regard  to  moisture,  humidity 
and  cleanliness  in  the  engraved  manner  apply  to  crayon 
drawing,  and  in  addition,  much  trouble  can  be  caused 
by  dandruff  from  the  hair  falling  on  the  stone.  These 
fine  scales  are  often  imperceptible,  yet  being  intensely 
greasy,  are  absorbed  by  the  stone,  will  resist  acid  more 
than  the  crayon  drawing  and  make  their  appearance  in 
dark  spots  when  the  roller  is  used  and  so  spoil  what 
would  otherwise  be  a  creditable  piece  of  work. 

The  crayons  used  for  drawing  are  composed  of  simi- 
lar ingredients  as  "tusche,"  are  soft  and  brittle  and  must 
be  sharpened  from  the  point  in  the  same  manner  as 
charcoal.  They  are  made  in  five  qualities — No.  i  is  soft, 
No.  5  is  hard — the  variation  in  firmness  is  caused  by  the 
proportion  of  wax  and  soap  in  the  soft  crayon  and  the 
excess  of  shellac  in  the  hard,  they  must  be  selected  for 
the  work  in  hand.  Generally,  where  flat  surfaces  and 
shadows  are  to  be  drawn,  No.  i  is  most  suitable,  and 
where  much  detail  is  necessary,  the  hard  crayon  will  be 
best  suited.  In  small  portrait  work,  No.  3  and  No.  5 
will  give  the  best  results.  The  graduations  from  the 
lightest  tint  to  deep  shadow  will  require  careful  working 


of  Lithography.  53 

up — a  decided  manner  of  working  will  give  the  clearest 
prints,  and  clear,  clean  graduation  will  only  be  produced 
by  persistent  painstaking  practice.  Those  parts  which  are 
to  print  in  full  color  are  termed  solids,  and  must  be  put 
in  with  tusche.  Either  pen  or  brush  can  be  used  for 
this  purpose;  the  latter  is  preferable.  All  solids  should 
be  put  in  previous  to  drawing,  as  the  pen  would  pick  up 
the  crayon.  A  little  stippling  with  the  pen  is  permissible 
to  increase  the  depth  of  shadows,  and  upon  the  good 
judgment  of  the  artist  much  will  depend.  In  the  treat- 
ment of  the  work  for  effect,  few  rigid  rules  can  be  laid 
down. 

Upon  inspection,  tints  which  have  been  drawn  too 
light,  can  be  worked  over  with  the  crayon  until  the  de- 
sired strength  is  attained,  while  parts  that  are  too  dark, 
must  be  picked  down  with  a  fine  needle  point,  and  in 
large  work  are  sometimes  reduced  by  ripping  down  with 
a  knife  or  file.  In  using  this  method,  a  knife  with  a  firm 
spring  is  held  in  the  hand  in  a  similar  manner  to  a 
pencil,  the  cutting  edge  is  drawn  lightly  (broadside  on) 
towards  the  operator,  the  blade  is  thus  caused  to  bounce 
at  short  intervals,  making  a  minute  regular  cut  at  each 
bounce,  it  requires  dexterity  to  accomplish  this  properly. 
This  method  is  much  used  on  large  work  on  account 
of  its  quickness  and  the  bright  effects  which  it  can  pro- 
duce. 

Rub  tints  are  generally  combined  with  crayon  work 
and  are  used  for  the  lighter  colors,  such  as  yellow,  pink, 
light  blue  and  gray,  in  color  work  where  this  method  is 
to  be  used,  a  heavy  offset  is  required  (the  reason  there- 
for will  follow),  a  special  block  crayon  is  used  for 


54  Practical  Text  Book 

rubbing  in  the  tint,  called  rubbing  ink.  (It  is  softer  than 
No.  i  crayon,  having  a  greater  proportion  of  wax  and 
soap  in  its  composition.)  To  apply  the  rubbing  ink 
a  piece  of  cheese  cloth,  or  chamois  leather,  is  tightly 
stretched  over  the  forefinger,  so  that  a  perfectly  smooth 
surface  is  presented  on  the  fleshy  part,  this  is  then  rubbed 
on  the  cake  of  rubbing  ink  and  with  an  even,  dexterous 
movement,  applied  to  the  grain  of  the  stone.  In  work- 
ing rub  tints,  the  outline  will  often  be  overrun;  fitting 
of  the  colors,  and  opening  of  high-lights,  must  be  ac- 
complished by  scraping  away  the  surplus  parts  with  a  flat 
scraper.  The  use  of  a  heavy  offset,  is  now  apparent, 
as  it  will  be  seen  through  the  rub  tint  whereas  a  faint 
offset  would  be  obliterated. 

Tracing  the  outline  to  stone  will  be  the  first  opera- 
tion. Proceed  as  instructed  in  Chapter  II.,  but  observe 
that  the  red  tracing-paper  must  have  but  little  color  upon 
it,  because  the  grained  surface  takes  off  a  greater  quantity 
than  the  polished  stone.  Try  it  first,  and  if  too  red  wipe 
it  off  the  paper  with  a  dry  cloth,  until  the  necessary  color 
is  gained.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  liquid  ink 
will  penetrate  a  strong  line  of  the  tracing,  while  the  dry 
chalk  might  be  kept  from  the  stone  by  the  interposition 
of  the  red  chalk  line;  and  hence  the  advisability  of  hav- 
ing the  tracing  very  faint. 

A  tracing  may  also  be  made  in  soft  red  or  black 
conte  crayon.  When  this  is  put  upon  the  stone  and  a 
piece  of  hard  writing-paper  laid  upon  it,  it  may  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  stone  by  rubbing  with  some  smooth  hard 
substance,  taking  care  that  it  does  not  shift. 

Having  got  the  subject  traced  to  the  stone,  remove 


of  Lithography.  55 

the  tracing-papers  and  substitute  for  them  a  piece  of 
plain  paper  fastened  round  the  edge  of  the  stone.  Tear 
a  piece  out  of  the  upper  left-hand  corner  and  proceed  to 
work  there,  removing  the  paper  as  necessary  until  the 
whole  is  completed.  The  hand  board  must  be  used  to 
keep  all  pressure  from  the  newly-deposited  chalk,  because 
if  the  chalk  be  partly  removed  from  the  surface  it  will 
have  less  power  to  withstand  the  action  of  the  etching, 
and  the  result  may  be  spots  and  patches  of  lighter  color. 

Lithographic  chalks  are  pointed  with  the  knife,  like 
conte  crayons,  by  laying  the  point  on  the  left  forefinger 
as  a  guide,  and  cutting  from  the  point.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  use  the  knife  every  time  the  crayon  requires  pointing. 
As  long  as  it  remains  nicely  tapered,  it  may  be  brought 
to  a  good  working  point  by  rubbing  it  gently — turning 
it  between  the  thumb  and  finger  at  the  same  time — on  a 
piece  of  coarse  printing-paper  or  other  similar  surface. 
This  will  give  a  better  point,  and  more  expeditiously, 
than  the  knife,  and  will  usually  be  found  to  be  less  liable 
to  break. 

The  outlining  should  be  all  complete  before  com- 
mencing to  shade,  or  lay  in  the  "tinting."  If  it  is  an 
architectural  or  other  subject  requiring  fine  detail,  it  may 
be  put  in  with  copal  chalk  with  a  firm  touch,  as  it  will 
then  better  resist  the  etching.  This  chalk  is  made  as 
hard  as  possible  consistent  with  the  quality  of  rolling 
up,  but  is  not  so  strong  as  No.  i,  and  should  not  be  used 
at  all  for  tinting,  nor  for  outlining,  when  No.  I  will 
answer  the  purpose.  No.  2  is  softer  and  stronger,  and 
may  be  used  for  bolder  drawings  and  deeper  shading; 
while  No.  3  is  to  be  reserved  for  very  deep  parts,  or 
such  subjects  as  large,  bold  portraits. 


56  Practical  Text  Book 

Where  precision  of  outline  is  of  more  importance 
than  artistic  effect, — where  it  is  more  minute  than  the 
chalk  point  can  well  accomplish, — and  where  the  nature 
of  the  subject  permits  or  demands  it, — ink  may  be  used, 
either  with  brush  or  ruling-pen.  It  must  be  strong  enough 
to  permit  of  etching,  and  black  enough  to  enable  the 
artist  to  estimate  his  effect. 

For  the  first  tint  take  a  light  crayon-holder  and  No.  I 
crayon;  hold  the  porte-crayon,  in  a  slanting  direction,  as 
far  from  the  chalk  as  can  conveniently  be  done,  and  lay 
in  the  tint  with  light  and  regular  strokes,  taking  care  not 
to  commence  or  leave  off  heavily,  as  that  would  make 
it  spotty.  In  this  way  cross  and  recross  it  until  the  de- 
sired effect  is  obtained. 

Having  completed  the  drawing  with  the  crayon,  little 
bits  of  pure  black  may  be  put  in  with  ink  to  give  effect 
where  necessary ;  lights  may  be  removed  with  the  scraper ; 
transparency  given  to  the  shadows  by  the  judicious  use 
of  the  needle-point;  figures  separated  from  the  back- 
ground by  the  same  instrument;  and  many  little  things 
done  that  taste  and  experience  may  dictate,  previously  to 
the  drawing  being  handed  over  to  the  printer  to  prove. 
In  giving  effect  by  means  of  ink,  it  should  be  applied 
with  a  brush,  as  it  is  possible  that  a  pen  may  scratch 
the  stone,  so  as  to  leave  white  marks  in  the  impression. 

If  an  error  be  committed  of  any  large  extent,  the 
part  must  be  grained  out  with  dry  sand  and  a  muller 
proportioned  to  the  surface  to  be  removed.  The  sand 
must  then  be  carefully  and  thoroughly  brushed  away, 
and  finally  wiped  off  with  a  perfectly  clean  dry  soft  cloth, 
until  nothing  remains  to  prevent  the  proper  adhesion  of 
the  chalk  subsequently  to  be  applied. 


of  Lithography.  57 

Suppose  the  drawing  finished,  and  a  proof  submitted 
to  the  inexperienced  artist,  his  feelings  on  receiving  it 
will  be  those,  probably,  of  disappointment.  He  will  per- 
haps find  that  his  light  tints  have  become  more  light; 
his  dark  shades  too  heavy  and  opaque;  and  the  general 
keeping  of  the  subject  altered  for  the  worse;  the  result 
being  aggravated  by  the  substitution  of  white  paper  for 
the  pleasant  neutral  grey  of  the  stone  on  which  it  was 
drawn.  The  remedy  is  obvious.  The  light  tints,  to 
stand  an  etching  sufficient  to  keep  the  deep  shades  clear, 
must  be  drawn  more  strongly;  the  middle  tints  as  de- 
sired; and  the  deep  shades  a  trifle  lighter  than  they  are 
intended.  Then,  by  printing  the  subject  on  a  tint  some- 
what of  the  color  of  the  stone,  with  the  addition  of  white 
high  lights,  now  at  command,  it  is  possible  to  produce 
an  effect  more  in  unison  with  the  wishes  and  expectation 
of  the  artist. 

A  most  important  point  in  chalk  lithography  is  to  keep 
the  point  of  the  crayon  proportionate  to  the  tint  sought. 
Fine  points  make  fine  tints,  and  coarse  points  coarse 
tints.  If  it  be  desired  to  produce  a  rough  effect,  as  on 
old  walls,  roads,  shingly  beach,  and  such  like,  the  point 
must  be  broad,  and  held  at  an  acute  angle  to  the  stone ; 
or  a  piece  of  broken  chalk  may  be  cut  to  a  flat  surface  on 
its  side,  and  rubbed  in  the  direction  required  over  the 
stone,  on  which  it  will  produce  a  marvellously  rough 
effect. 

Care  and  cleanliness  are  essential  here,  as  in  other 
styles  of  lithography,  and  the  artist  should  be  cautious 
in  permitting  persons  unacquainted  with  the  art  to  ex- 
amine his  work  during  its  execution,  as  he  thereby  runs 


58  Practical  Text  Book 

the  risk  of  scurf  from  the  hair,  spittle-spots,  and  other 
similar  accidents  occurring  to  the  stone. 

Etching  the  Drawing. — This  operation  is  usually  per- 
formed by  the  foreman-printer.  It  is  an  intermediate 
process  to  be  gone  through  before  the  stone  is  ready  to  be 
printed  from,  which  is  very  important,  as  affecting,  in  a 
very  marked  degree,  the  good  quality  of  the  impressions; 
but  as  it  does  not  essentially  belong  to  printing,  and  might 
with  advantage  be  done  by  the  artist,  it  will  be  described 
in  this  place. 

The  term  "etching,"  in  lithography,  is  no  doubt  bor- 
rowed from  the  practice  of  etching  on  copper,  but  it  is 
somewhat  improperly  applied.  The  etching  process  on 
copper  consists  in  producing  an  effect  by  drawing  with  a 
point  through  a  wax  surface  spread  upon  a  metal  plate, 
and  afterwards  fixing  or  deepening  such  work  by  "biting 
in"  with  dilute  nitric  acid.  In  lithography  the  term  "etch- 
ing" is  applied  only  to  the  acidulation  of  the  stone  by 
dilute  nitric  or  other  acid,  the  effect  of  which  is  rather  to 
make  the  work  lighter  than  stronger,  and  is  thus  dia- 
metrically opposed  to  similar  operations  on  metal. 

When  nitric  and  most  other  acids  are  brought  into 
contact  with  the  carbonate  of  lime,  of  which  the  litho- 
graphic stone  principally  consists,  decomposition  ensues; 
the  nitric  acid  seizes  upon  the  lime,  and  sets  the  carbonic 
acid  free,  which  then  passes  off  rapidly  in  minute  bubbles, 
producing  the  phenomenon  known  as  effervescence.  The 
necessity  for  etching  chalk  drawings  may  be  understood 
by  studying  the  following  conditions: 

a.     Lithographic  crayon  is  soluble  in  water  by  reason  of 
the   soap  it  contains,   and  would   spread   under  the  operation 


of  Lithography.  59 

of   damping   the   stone  in   printing,   unless   means   were   used 
to  restrain  it. 

b.  Soap  is,  from  a  chemical  point  of  view,  a  combination 
of  fatty  acids  with  caustic  alkalies,  which  latter  render  those 
fatty  acids  soluble  in  water. 

c.  When  any  mineral  acid  is  brought  into  contact   with 
the   soap,    it   unites   with    its    alkali,   to   the   exclusion    of   the 
fatty  acids,  which  then  become  again  insoluble  in  water. 

The  lithographic  chalk,  being  acidulated  in  the  etching 
process,  has  its  saponaceous  character  destroyed,  and  is 
rendered  insoluble  in  water,  and  thereby  prevented  from 
spreading  under  the  influence  of  the  damping  process. 

Some  good  practical  printers  doubt  the  action  of  the 
etching  on  the  alkali  of  the  soap ;  but  any  person  may  try 
the  experiment  for  himself  in  the  following  simple  man- 
ner: Rub  some  of  Korn's  chalk  in  two  places  on  a 
clean  stone  (a  polished  one  will  answer  the  purpose). 
Acidulate  one  with  dilute  acid  sufficient  to  cause  effer- 
vescence, but  leave  the  other  free.  If  a  clean  sponge  and 
soft  water  be  now  taken,  it  will  be  found  that  the  un- 
etched  chalk  will  be  partially  washed  away,  and  become 
grey,  while  the  other  remains  black  and  unmoved.  Mr. 
M.  Hanhart,  in  an  article  on  "Chemical  Printing"  in 
Watt's  "Chemical  Dictionary,"  thus  speaks  of  the  prob- 
able nature  of  the  etching  and  gumming  processes : 

"The  action  in  this  part  of  the  process  is  somewhat  ob- 
scure, but  it  is  probable  that  the  nitric  acid  dissolves  the  super- 
ficial particles  of  the  stone,  and  the  resulting  solution  forms 
with  the  gum  an  insoluble  gummate  or  metagummate  of  cal- 
cium. One  thing  is  certain,  that  the  gum  becomes  firmly  fixed 
on  the  stone,  and  cannot  be  removed  even  by  repeated  wash- 
ing with  water.  The  nitric  acid  also  acts  upon  the  chalk  by 
laying  hold  of  the  alkali  and  setting  the  fatty  acids  free. 

"The  stone,  thus  prepared,  is  next  washed  with  water,  to 
dissolve  off  the  excess  of  gum  and  the  nitrates  of  sodium  and 
calcium,  and  afterwards  with  oil  of  turpentine,  which  removes 


60  Practical  Text  Book 

the  excess  of  grease  from  the  drawing,  and  renders  it  nearly 
invisible.  The  fatty  calcium  salts  formed  by  the  action  of  the 
soap  on  the  carbonate  of  calcium  are,  however,  insoluble  in 
the  turpentine,  and  remain  untouched ;  and  on  subsequently 
wetting  the  surface  of  the  stone  with  water,  and  passing  over 
it  a  roller  covered  with  printing-ink,  composed  of  linseed-oil 
and  lampblack,  the  ink  adheres  to  those  parts  of  the  surface 
where  these  fatty  salts  are  situated,  while  the  remaining  por- 
tion, which  has  been  acted  on  by  the  gum,  does  not  take  up 
the  printing-ink,  because  the  fatty  acids  of  the  linseed-oil  are 
incapable  of  decomposing  the  compound  of  lime  and  gum  with 
which  those  portions  are  covered,  and  mechanical  adhesion  is 
prevented  by  the  film  of  water  on  the  surface. 

"This  view  of  the  lithographic  process  represents  it  as 
altogether  depending  on  a  series  of  chemical  actions.  It  is, 
however,  more  commonly  supposed  that  the  fatty  matter  of 
the  lithographic  chalk  simply  adheres  to,  or  is  partly  absorbed 
by,  the  porous  surface  of  the  limestone ;  that  the  parts  thus 
penetrated  readily  take  up  the  printing-ink,  and  that  the  adhe- 
sion of  the  ink  to  the  other  portions  of  the  surface  is  pre- 
vented by  the  interposition  of  a  film  of  water.  But  if  this  ex- 
planation were  correct,  a  piece  of  alabaster,  or  sandstone,  or 
porous  earthenware,  or  any  other  stone  capable  of  receiving  a 
granular  surface  ought  to  be  available  for  lithography  as  well 
as  limestone;  whereas  it  is  well  known  that  carbonate  of  cal- 
cium is  the  only  kind  of  stone  that  will  answer  the  purpose : 
moreover,  the  mechanical  theory  of  lithography  takes  no  ac- 
count of  the  peculiar  action  of  the  gum,  which  appears  to  be 
an  essential  feature  of  the  process." 

Our  own  views  are  somewhat  different  from  those  of 
Mr.  Hanhart,  and  are  founded  upon  experience  and  ex- 
periments. Our  object  not  being  the  discussion  of  ob- 
scure phenomena,  but  rather  the  production  of  a  prac- 
tical treatise,  we  will  allow  our  readers  an  opportunity  of 
forming  their  own  opinions,  when  they  have  mastered 
the  manipulative  details  in  which  we  shall  have  the  pleas- 
ure of  instructing  them. 

In  practical  lithography  there  are  two  different  ways 
of  applying  the  acid;  firstly,  flooding  the  stone  with  acid 
diluted  with  plain  water;  and  secondly,  brushing  it  with 
acid  diluted  with  gum-water. 


of  Lithography.  61 

First  method. — Provide  a  shallow  wooden  or  other 
suitable  box,  of  at  least  the  full  width  of  the  stone,  and 
sufficiently  water-tight  to  answer  the  purpose.  Into  this 
box  put  sufficient  etching  solution  to  completely  flood  the 
stone,  which  must  be  fixed  over  a  trough,  sink,  or  other 
convenient  place,  at  an  angle  of  about  45  deg.  Now  take 
the  etching-box,  place  its  edge  so  as  nearly  to  touch  the 
upper  edge  of  the  stone,  and  pour  its  contents  over  it,  so 
as  to  make,  as  near  as  may  be,  an  uniform  wave  from 
top  to  bottom.  The  stone  should  now  be  reversed,  and 
the  operation  repeated,  because  the  acid  in  descending 
will,  of  course,  remain  longer  on  the  lower  portion  than 
on  the  upper ;  but  if  the  stronger  part  of  the  drawing  be 
at  the  bottom,  keeping  it  in  the  one  position  may  be  better 
than  reversing  it. 

Second  method. — Gum  the  clean  edge  of  the  stone 
with  weak  gum-water,  and  allow  it  to  dry.  Set  the  stone 
level,  but  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  able  to  give  it  a 
rocking  motion.  Convert  the  surface  into  a  kind  of  tray 
by  means  of  some  engravers'  bordering-wax,  and  pour 
the  dilute  acid  into  it,  and  as  the  bubbles  of  gas  arise, 
rock  the  stone  to  detach  them  from  its  surface. 

In  these  two  methods,  as  soon  as  the  etching  is  com- 
pleted and  the  water  drained  off,  the  stone  is  to  be 
gummed  by  a  soft  sponge  or  brush,  and  allowed  to  dry, 
when  it  may  be  put  into  the  hands  of  the  printer  for 
proving. 

Third  method. — This  is,  perhaps,  the  one  most  gener- 
ally employed,  and  has  been  found  to  give  good  results 
in  most  cases ;  by  it  additional  etching  can  be  applied  to 
any  darker  parts  that  require  it;  but  in  this  respect  it  is 


62  Practical  Text  Book 

not  so  perfect  as  the  method  to  be  described  in  the  fourth 
method.  According  as  the  drawing  is  composed  of 
strong  or  delicate  chalking,  and  the  stone  is  of  a  hard  or 
soft  nature,  the  preparation  is  to  consist  of  from  40  to  60 
parts  of  gum-solution,  of  the  consistency  of  linseed-oil, 
to  one  part  of  acid  (nitric  or  muriatic).  This  is  to  be 
poured  into  a  dish  of  convenient  size,  and  well  mixed. 
Now  take  a  flat,  soft  brush,  of  not  less  than  four  inches 
in  width,  saturate  it  with  the  solution,  and  apply  it  to  the 
stone  in  bold  strokes  from  right  to  left,  and  left  to  right, 
until  the  stone  is  covered.  Repeat  the  operation,  and  if 
there  are  dark  parts  requiring  it,  have  ready  a  smaller 
brush  to  further  etch  them  with  the  same  solution.  Now 
rinse  off  the  etching-fluid,  and  gum  in  as  before  described, 
and  dry.  It  is  better  thus  to  wash  off  the  etching  prepara- 
tion, because  all  further  action  is  stopped,  which  may  not 
be  the  case  if  the  gum  and  acid  were  allowed  to  stop  on 
till  dry. 

Fourth  method. — This  is  founded  on  the  desirability 
that  exists  for  etching  the  darker  parts  of  a  drawing  more 
than  the  lighter,  and  if  carried  out  by  a  man  of  experi- 
ence, on  a  suitable  subject,  cannot  fail  to  give  satisfaction, 
though  a  little  more  troublesome.  Prepare  an  etching 
preparation  as  for  method  one,  suitable  to  the  lightest 
tints,  and  with  that  etch  the  whole  of  the  drawing.  After 
drying,  instead  of  gumming  the  whole,  apply  the  gum  to 
the  lightest  tints,  and  etch  again  in  the  same  manner. 
Wash  well  with  plain  water,  and  dry.  Now  stop  out  with 
gum  the  light  and  middle  tints,  and  etch  for  the  third 
time.  The  etching,  in  each  case  being  momentary,  will 
not  dissolve  the  gum,  which,  for  the  short  period  the  acid 


of  Lithography.  63 

is  on  the  stone,  may  be  fully  gummed  and  put  aside  to 
dry.  It  must  be  noted  that  subjects  having  a  continuous 
gradation  from  light  to  dark  cannot  be  etched  on  this 
principle. 

While  treating  of  the  nature  of  acids  and  their  uses 
in  lithography,  it  may  be  desirable  to  notice  another  appli- 
cation of  them — viz.,  to  retouching  and  correcting  after 
printing. 

Etching  Crayon  Work. — This  part  of  the  process  re- 
quires both  experience  and  care,  as  an  injudicious  etch- 
ing would  entirely  change  the  effect  intended  in  the  draw- 
ing. For  all  crayon  drawings  it  is  advisable  to  make 
fresh  etching  solution.  Gum  solution  carefully  strained 
through  cheese-cloth  and  of  the  consistency  of  cream,  to 
which  two  per  cent,  of  nitric  acid  has  been  added  and 
well  mixed,  should  be  tested  on  a  clear  part  of  the 
stone  on  which  the  drawing  has  been  made.  In  etching 
crayon  work,  the  strength  of  acid  should  be  such  that  the 
lightest  tint  made  by  the  artist  can  bear  without  injury. 
Experience  is  the  best  guide,  for  if  the  etch  is  not  strong 
enough,  the  work  will  roll  up  heavily,  and  have  a  thick 
and  foggy  appearance,  while  if  the  etch  is  too  strong  the 
fine  tints  will  have  suffered  and  be  weak  and  rotten  if  they 
do  not  disappear  entirely. 

When  the  etch  is  tried  on  stone,  it  should  show  a 
slight  effervescence  in  from  three  to  four  seconds.  When 
dry,  the  surface  gum  should  be  washed  off  with  clear 
water,  using  a  well  saturated,  clean,  soft  sponge  for  that 
purpose.  The  crayon  may  now  be  washed  away  while 
the  stone  is  damp,  by  a  soft  rag  on  which  sufficient  tur- 
pentine has  been  sprinkled,  the  rag  charged  slightly  with 


64  Practical  Text  Book 

printing  ink  from  the  slab,  a  few  drops  of  water  sprinkled 
on  stone,  the  design  lightly  charged  with  ink  from  the  rag, 
and  then  firmly  rolled  up  with  a  good  freshly  scraped 
roller  very  slightly  charged  with  good  crayon  black  ink, 
when  properly  done,  the  drawing  on  stone  should  show 
the  same  delicate  tints,  shading  and  tones  as  when  finished 
by  the  artist,  to  whom  it  should  now  be  submitted.  When 
stone  is  passed  by  the  artist,  the  drawing  is  protected  by 
dusting  with  finely  powdered  rosin,  which  can  be  followed 
by  an  additional  dusting  of  soapstone  powder,  the  second 
etching  for  printing  purposes  is  now  applied.  After  gum 
has  dried,  stone  may  be  handled  in  the  usual  manner, 
great  care  being  taken  never  to  use  any  more  ink  than  is 
sufficient  to  produce  clean,  clear  impressions.  When  a 
satisfactory  proof  has  been  obtained  it  should  be  O.  K'd 
and  kept  as  a  guide  or  standard  for  all  subsequent  inv 
pressions. 

Use  of  Black  Impressions  in  Color  Work. — When  fin- 
ished proving  a  crayon  drawing,  if  printed  in  color,  should 
be  washed  out,  inked  up  in  a  good  grade  of  crayon  black 
ink,  and  a  good  proof  made,  which  should  be  marked 
with  name  of  color  printed,  its  sequence  in  the  printing 
operations  and  the  number  of  the  stone  on  which  it  was 
drawn.  This  proof  will  serve  as  a  guide  to  the  trans- 
f  errer  in  the  location  of  the  original  and  as  a  guide  to  com- 
pare with  his  transfer  impressions,  which  must  also  be 
in  black.  After  this  black  impression  has  been  made, 
the  drawing  should  be  sharply  inked  up,  dried  and  care- 
fully dusted  with  finely  powdered  rosin.  Stone  should 
now  be  washed  off  with  clean  water,  dried,  and  carefully 
gummed  in,  the  gum  should  be  carefully  smoothed,  using 
a  soft,  dry  rag  for  that  purpose. 


of  Lithography.  65 

Retouching  and  correcting  after  printing  on  grained 
stones  may  be  effected  according  to  the  instructions 
given  for  polished  stones  under  the  heading  Corrections 
and  Additions  after  Rolling  Up  (page  40).  If  done 
with  every  care,  and  the  additions  made  with  No.  2  chalk, 
they  may  be  expected  to  stand  very  well,  though  they  will 
not  equal  in  strength  and  firmness  the  original  drawing. 


CHAPTER  V. 
TAKING  IMPRESSIONS  FOR  TRANSFERRING. 

STONES,  after  the  Etching,  described  in  the  last  chap- 
ter, are  ready  for  the  press.  As  we  have,  however, 
given  instructions  for  drawing  in  two  styles  on  paper — 
with  pen  and  brush  (line  work)  and  with  chalk  (grained 
paper),  we  must  show  how  they  are  to  be  put  upon  the 
stone  previous  to  printing  from  them,  or  in  the  language 
of  the  trade,  transferring  them.  The  transferring  method 
applies  not  only  to  work  executed  in  the  first  instance  by 
hand  labor,  but  also  to  the  reproduction  by  lithography  of 
engraved  plates,  blocks  and  type.  We  shall,  therefore, 
take  this  subject  next  in  order,  and  devote  a  chapter  to  it. 

One  of  the  most  important  qualifications  for  the  fore- 
man of  a  small  lithographic  printing-office  is  the  ability 
to  pull  transfers  from  copper-plate. 

The  copper-plate  press  may  be  used  for  pulling  the 
transfers,  but  the  litho  press  will  be  found  quite  suffi- 
cient. It  is  as  well  to  devote  a  small  press  entirely  to 
this  purpose,  and  have  conveniences  at  hand  for  use  at 
any  time.  A  small  lithographic  press  will  cost  less  money 
than  a  copper-plate  press,  and  may  be  used  for  litho  work 
as  well  in  a  small  establishment. 

An  apparatus  for  warming  the  plate  will  be  necessary. 
It  may  be  simply  held  over  an  ordinary  gas  flame,  but 
this  is  a  mode  to  be  avoided  by  any  one  who  wishes  to 


of  Lithography.  67 

do  his  work  neatly  and  cleanly,  because  it  smokes  the 
back  of  the  plate  and  causes  it  to  accumulate  little  hard 
spots  of  ink-like  nature  that  soon  develop  into  convex 
spots  upon  the  surface  of  the  plate. 

A  jigger  is  a  kind  of  light  wood  box  open  at  the  ends, 
to  be  placed  near  the  heaters.  It  is  used  for  laying  the 
plate  upon  while  it  is  being  wiped,  the  open  part  under- 
neath serving  as  a  receptacle  for  "whiting,"  which  it  thus 
preserved  from  dust  and  grit.  This  apparatus,  though 
useful,  is  by  no  means  indispensable. 

Printers'  blanketing  is  used  for  laying  upon  the  plate, 
over  the  transfer  paper,  while  the  impression  is  being 
taken,  serving  by  its  elasticity  to  drive  the  paper  into  the 
lines  of  the  engraving.  Good  flannel,  such  as  is  used  for 
underclothing,  if  employed  double  or  treble,  will  answer 
the  purpose  admirably. 

The  damp  book  is  usually  employed,  when  much 
transferring  is  done,  for  preparing  the  paper  previously 
to  taking  the  impression,  and  also  preparatory  to  laying  it 
down  upon  the  stone.  It  consists  merely  of  20  to  30 
loose  sheets  of  thick  printing-paper,  of  a  convenient  size, 
wetted  by  dipping  every  alternate  sheet,  and  then  putting 
them  in  a  heap  under  a  weight  until  equally  damp  all 
through.  It  must  not  be  used  until  the  water  is  equally 
diffused  through  the  whole.  To  prevent  the  mildew,  to 
which  it  is  subject,  a  little  carbolic  acid  may  be  added  to 
the  damping  water. 

Though  recognizing  the  great  convenience  of  this  ar- 
rangement, and  fully  acknowledging  the  perfection  with 
which  a  transfer  may  be  damped  for  the  stone,  we  do  not 
consider  it  equally  applicable  in  damping  the  transfer- 


68  Practical  Text  Book 

paper  previous  to  pulling  the  impression,  for  the  reasons 
following : 

a.  The  composition   on  the  paper  is   made  adhesive,  so 
as   to  attach  it  firmly  to  the  stone   during  the  operation  of 
transferring;  and  the  damping-book  acts  admirably  in  bring- 
ing the  paper   into  such  condition   by  acting  upon  the   com- 
position and  softening  it. 

b.  In  taking  the  impression  from  the  plate,  it  is  desirable 
that  the  composition  should  adhere  sufficiently  to  prevent  its 
shifting,  but  not  so  strongly  as  to  leave  it  partly  on  the  plate 
when  the  transfer  is  being  lifted. 

c.  If  the  transfer-paper  is  damped  upon  the  back  with  a 
sponge  containing  but  little  water,  the  paper  may  be  rendered 
sufficiently  supple  and  yielding  as  to  easily  penetrate  the  lines 
of  the  engraving  at  the  same  time  that  it  adheres  well  enough 
to  the  surface  of  the  plate  without  sticking  too  strongly. 

For  these  reasons  it  is  advisable  either  to  damp  the 
paper  on  the  back  with  a  sponge  containing  a  little 
water,  or  to  place  a  piece  of  clean,  dry  paper  in  the  book 
on  the  face  of  the  transfer  paper,  to  prevent  its  becoming 
too  adherent  when  applied  to  the  plate. 

Taking  the  Impression  from  Plates. — Tie  up  a  piece 
of  transfer-ink  in  sufficient  old  linen  or  silk  to  cover  it. 
This  acts  as  a  strainer  during  the  inking  of  the  plate. 
Warm  the  plate  until  it  can  barely  be  held  in  the  hand, 
holding  it  by  a  piece  of  folded  paper  or  cloth  to  protect 
the  fingers.  Rub  the  covered-up  stick  of  ink  upon  the 
plate,  until  sufficient  is  melted  to  cover  it,  continuing  to 
rub  the  ink  into  the  lines  of  the  plate,  and  warm  it  as 
found  necessary. 

When  it  is  well  filled  in,  take  a  piece  of  soft  rag,  fold 
it  over  the  fingers,  and  wipe  the  superfluous  ink  off  the 
still  hot  plate,  endeavoring  in  so  doing  not  to  wipe  the  ink 
out  of  the  lines,  which  is  best  done  by  wiping  across 
them. 


of  Lithography.  69 

Shift  the  rag  to  a  cleaner  place,  and  wipe  again  until 
all  the  ink  is  removed  from  the  surface  and  the  plate 
looks  clean.  Now  carefully  examine  it,  and  see  if  any 
ink  remains  in  small  specks,  which  will  very  likely  happen. 
If  so,  remove  them  with  the  finger  nail  or  a  splint  of 
wood.  When  quite  free  from  surface  ink,  rub  the  hand 
on  a  piece  of  whiting  or  soft  chalk,  and  then  wipe  it  over 
the  other  hand,  or  similar  surface,  so  as  to  get  a  little 
only  on  it,  and  with  it  polish  the  plate,  thus  removing  the 
last  trace  of  grease  from  the  surface.  Be  careful  to  have 
but  little  whiting  on  the  hand,  or  it  may  stick  to  the  ink 
in  the  lines,  in  quantity  sufficient  to  prevent  its  adhesion 
to  the  paper. 

Place  a  small  thick  stone  in  the  press,  and  upon  it 
the  plate  face  upwards.  Upon  the  plate  put  a  piece  of 
transfer-paper  prepared  side  downwards,  and  previously 
damped,  and  over  that  the  flannel  or  blanket;  turn  down 
the  tympan,  and  by  depressing  the  lever  bring  the  scraper 
down  upon  the  tympan  just  over  one  end  of  the  plate, 
and  with  a  good  pressure  run  the  plate  through  by  the 
handle.  It  is  an  excellent  plan  to  have  two  pieces  of 
millboard  of  the  thickness  of  the  plate — one  on  each  side 
of  it — as  the  scraper  may  be  then  set  on  the  millboard, 
and  a  proper  pull  got  all  over  the  plate. 

Now  raise  the  lever,  pull  out  the  carriage,  lift  the 
tympan,  reverse  the  plate  in  the  press,  and  repeat  the 
operation.  This  should  now  be  sufficient,  but  occasionally 
it  may  have  to  be  repeated  twice  or  thrice.  Take  the 
plate  from  the  press,  and  remove  the  flannel,  when  the 
cutting  in  the  plate  should  show  plainly  at  the  back,  if 
sufficient  pressure  has  been  applied.  The  transfer  must 


70  Practical  Text  Book 

not  now  be  peeled  from  the  plate  for  two  reasons:  (a) 
the  ink  being  cold  and  hard,  will  not  readily  quit  the 
lines;  (b)  the  composition  is  damp,  rotten,  and  deficient 
in  tenacity.  To  bring  all  into  proper  condition,  the  plate 
must  be  gently  warmed  to  soften  the  ink  and  dry  the 
paper,  which  will  then  contract,  and  leave  the  plate  with 
very  little  assistance. 

The  impression  should  now  present  the  appearance  of 
glazed  enamel  paper,  with  every  line  full  of  ink — distinct 
and  sharp. 

If  the  impression  is  very  full  of  ink,  or  the  ink  be 
too  soft,  so  that  there  is  reason  to  anticipate  its  spread- 
ing in  transferring,  it  may  be  laid  upon  a  piece  of  clean 
printing  paper,  and  pulled  through  the  press,  when  some 
of  the  ink  will  adhere  to  the  clean  paper.  To  separate, 
it  will  be  safest  to  warm  them  slightly. 

Retransfers  from  Stone. — A  small  litho  roller  should 
be  kept  for  this  purpose,  because  it  will  then  be  always 
ready,  while  an  ordinary  printing-roller  would  require 
scraping  both  before  and  after  using  the  retransfer  ink 
upon  it.  This  is  rendered  necessary  by  reason  of  the 
soapy  nature  of  the  ink  making  it  unfit  for  ordinary 
printing.  An  ink  which  may  be  used  without  injuring  a 
drawing  in  taking  a  few  transfers,  might  spoil  it  when 
employed  in  printing  a  quantity.  The  non-drying  nature 
of  this  ink  will  be  found  to  keep  the  roller  soft  and  pliant 
for  use,  with  an  occasional  scraping  previous  to  applying 
new  ink,  and  this  furnishes  an  additional  reason  for  ap- 
propriating a  roller  to  this  use  alone. 

Take  some  of  the  transfer  paper,  sparingly  damp  the 
back  with  a  sponge.  Wipe  off  the  superfluous  water 


of  Lithography.  71 

with  a  cloth,  and  in  a  few  seconds  the  paper  will  lie  flat, 
when  it  is  ready  to  take  an  impression  from  the  stone 
without  sticking  sufficiently  to  break  the  composition  in 
lifting.  It  is  now  only  required  to  roll  in  the  work,  waft 
the  stone  quite  dry,  and  to  pull  the  impression  on  the 
previously-damped  paper.  It  will  be  found  to  adhere 
strongly  to  the  stone,  and  must  be  raised  carefully  at  the 
edges,  and  peeled  off. 

Transfers  from  Type  and  Woodcuts  are  very  useful, 
and  in  some  offices  have  a  wide  application.  The  inspec- 
tion of  some  commercial  samples  will  show  the  student 
how  they  may  be  applied.  It  will  here  be  sufficient  to 
point  out  that  it  is  no  unfrequent  thing  to  find  letter- 
press invoice  headings,  etc.,  transferred  to  stone,  and 
printed  at  machine.  The  advantages  are  that  transfer- 
ring is  quicker  than  stereotyping;  that  four  to  eight  may 
be  printed  upon  a  sheet;  and  that  no  impression  is  made 
to  show  upon  the  back. 

The  paper  is  to  be  less  damp  than  in  the  last  two 
methods ;  the  ink  to  be  used  with  a  letterpress  roller,  and 
a  fine  card  to  be  laid  upon  the  back  to  get  a  nice,  sharp, 
clear  impression.  If  the  ink  is  not  at  hand,  and  the 
transfer  is  wanted  quickly,  it  may  be  printed  in  ordinary 
stiff  letterpress  ink,  which,  containing  soap,  is  of  the 
nature  of  a  transfer  ink. 

The  fact  that  all  the  modes  described  in  the  preceding 
paragraphs  may  be  employed  in  one  piece  of  work,  united 
with  any  of  the  modes  of  drawing  or  writing  herein 
previously  explained,  shows  that  a  power  is  possessed 
by  lithography  that  can  be  found  in  no  other  mode  of 
printing,  for,  in  fact,  it  may  successfully  imitate  the  other 
two,  while  it  possesses  advantages  peculiarly  its  own. 


72  Practical  Text  Book 

Condition  of  the  Stone. — The  stone  for  the  reception 
of  transfers  should  be  polished  free  from  perceptible 
scratches,  perfectly  clean,  and  free  from  gum,  grease  or 
dust.  This  latter  cannot  be  easily  seen  by  inspection,  but 
may  readily  be  detected  by  wiping  the  stone  with  a  piece 
of  dark-colored  cloth,  velvet,  etc.,  when  the  dust  is  visible 
on  the  stuff  used. 

The  stone  must  have  been  dried,  but  its  temperature 
may  vary  according  to  circumstances.  For  ordinary 
work,  it  is  perhaps  safest  to  have  the  stone  slightly  warm, 
but  it  is  undeniable  that  transfers  can  successfully  be 
made  on  cold  stones,  and  even  on  damp  ones,  when,  from 
the  nature  of  the  work,  it  is  desirable  to  use  them. 

The  qualities  of  the  transfer-paper  will  sometimes  de- 
termine whether  the  stone  is  to  be  used  warm,  for  there 
are  papers  that  will  not  adhere  to  cold  stones.  Such 
are  those  made  of  parchment  size,  or  other  varieties  of 
hard  gelatine,  which  do  not  become  adhesive  unless 
warmed  to  some  extent,  though  they  will  absorb  water 
at  a  low  temperature. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
METHODS  OF  TRANSFERRING. 

THE  manner  of  taking  impressions  suitable  for  trans- 
ferring having  been  described  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  we  proceed  now  to  show  the  manner  of  putting 
them  down  upon  the  stone,  so  that  they  may  be  printed 
from.  There  are  three  distinct  methods  of  transferring, 
each  having  its  own  special  advantages. 

First.  Transferring  damped  transfers  to  dry  stone, 
either  warm  or  cold. 

Second.     Dry  transfers  to  wet  stone ;  and 

Third.     Damped  transfers  to  wet  stone. 

Transferring  to  Dry  Stone  is  the  mode  usually,  and 
in  some  offices  invariably,  adopted.  The  stone  may  be 
warm  or  cold,  but  in  all  cases  must  be  thoroughly  dry. 
If  the  drawing,  writing,  copper  transfer,  or  other  work, 
is  of  an  unusually  fine  character,  or  if  the  ink  used  is  of  a 
very  hard  nature,  the  stone  may  be  warmed  with  advan- 
tage ;  but  it  should  not  be  made  hot,  or  the  transfer-ink 
may  spread,  as  it  can  hardly  be  expected  but  that  some 
part  of  the  work  will  contain  heavy  lines,  which  would,  of 
course,  be  more  liable  to  spread  than  finer  ones. 

The  damping  of  the  transfer-paper  requires  care  and 
experience.  It  has  before  been  stated  that  the  object  is 
to  render  the  composition  sufficiently  adhesive  to  stick  to 
the  stone  under  pressure,  and  this  may  be  ascertained  by 


74  Practical  Text  Book 

taking  a  corner  of  the  paper  containing  no  work,  and 
squeezing  it  between  the  finger  and  thumb,  to  which,  if  it 
attaches  itself  by  the  composition,  the  transfer  is  ready 
for  the  stone.  Care  must  be  taken  that  the  thumb  and 
finger  are  not  damp  or  the  trans  ferrer  may  be  thereby 
deceived.  A  very  convenient  substitute  for  a  damping- 
book  is  a  piece  of  thick  linen  cloth  dipped  in  water, 
wrung  as  dry  as  possible  with  the  hands,  and  then  opened 
out  and  taken  by  the  corners,  and  well  shaken  with  a 
jerking  motion  to  straighten  it.  This  is  then  folded,  and 
used  to  put  the  paper  between.  If  the  coating  on  the 
transfer-paper  is  very  soft,  a  piece  of  thin  plain  paper 
should  be  put  upon  the  face  of  the  transfer  to  prevent  it 
absorbing  the  damp  too  readily. 

The  stone  and  transfer  being  ready,  the  latter  is  to 
be  laid  down  upon  the  former,  and  where  it  is  a  plain, 
single  job,  such  as  a  circular,  it  may  easily  enough  be  laid 
in  its  place;  but  as  it  frequently  happens  that  the  trans- 
fer has  to  be  laid  very  accurately  to  a  mark,  and  that  it 
will  not  do  to  shift  it  about  upon  the  stone  to  adjust  it, 
it  is  desirable  to  handle  it  in  the  manner  following:  Take 
a  piece  of  clean,  rather  stiff  paper,  and  lay  the  transfer 
upon  its  upper  left-hand  corner,  so  that  about  half  an 
inch  shall  hang  over  the  paper.  This,  being  held  in  the 
right  hand,  can  be  readily  accommodated  to  any  point 
upon  the  stone  without  soiling  it ;  when  in  position,  place 
the  finger  and  thumb  of  the  left  hand  upon  the  projecting 
edge  of  the  transfer,  and  press  it  to  the  stone  while  the 
plain  paper  is  being  withdrawn,  after  which  the  left  hand 
can  be  taken  away  and  the  transfer  left  in  situ. 

If  several  transfers  have  to  be  laid  upon  a  stone  that 


of  Lithography.  75 

is  warm  enough  to  dry  them  quickly,  they  must  be  pulled 
through  the  press  singly  or  in  rows  of  two  or  three,  ac- 
cording to  the  quickness  of  the  workman,  for  if  all  were 
laid  before  pulling  through,  some  would  be  dry,  and 
would  not  adhere. 

Now  that  the  transfers  are  laid  upon  the  stone,  lay 
over  them  a  piece  of  clean  printing  paper,  and  over  that  a 
piece  of  printer's  fine  blanket;  pull  them  through  once 
with  a  moderate  pressure,  and  increase  it  a  little  after- 
ward until,  say,  the  third  pull.  Now  take  off  the  backing, 
reverse  the  scraper  in  its  box,  shift  the  stone  a  little  in 
the  press  (to  overcome  any  slight  defect  that  may  exist  in 
the  tympan  or  backing),  sponge  the  back  of  the  transfer, 
and  pull  through  again. 

The  composition  may  now  be  washed  off,  and  the 
stone  gummed  and  allowed  to  dry. 

The  student's  attention  is  requested  to  the  great  im- 
portance of  a  level  stone  and  level  scraper;  when  these 
co-exist  much  less  pressure  is  required  to  make  a  suc- 
cessful transfer,  and  the  risk  of  spreading  the  lines  is 
much  reduced.  When  the  transfer  is  very  large,  and  the 
evenness  of  the  stone  cannot  be  relied  upon,  strips  of 
cardboard  or  folded  paper  may  be  applied  to  different 
parts  of  the  stone  in  succession,  both  longitudinally  and 
transversely,  so  as  to  be  sure  of  applying  sufficient  pres- 
sure to  every  part. 

Independently  of  getting  a  true  surface,  large  trans- 
fers present  a  difficulty  in  their  liability  to  slur,  by  the  ink 
touching  the  stone  when  laid  down,  and  shifting  after- 
wards by  the  stretching  of  the  paper,  thus  making  two 
marks  instead  of  one. 


76  Practical  Text  Book 

The  transferring  of  the  autographic  transfers  conies 
within  this  class,  and  is  usually  performed  as  follows: 
The  paper  is  sponged  at  the  back  with  weak  solution  of 
nitric  acid  in  water,  laid  upon  the  warm  stone,  and  passed 
once  through  the  press  under  heavy  pressure ;  or  the  back 
of  the  paper  may  be  floated  upon  the  acid  solution,  taking 
care  not  to  wet  the  front,  and  hung  up  to  dry.  To  trans- 
fer, damp  the  back  with  plain  water  and  proceed  as  be- 
fore described.  A  convenient  way  of  floating  will  be  to 
put  a  quantity  of  acid  solution  on  a  piece  of  clean,  level 
glass ;  lay  one  corner  of  the  paper  upon  it,  and  push  the 
rest  of  the  paper  down  gradually. 

Transferring  to  a  Wet  Stone  can  only  be  successfully 
accomplished  with  a  transfer  paper  that  is  readily  ren- 
dered adhesive  by  cold  water.  Such  paper  may  be  coated 
with  any  of  the  varieties  of  starch  or  common  glue,  mixed 
or  not  with  gum  arabic;  but  transfer  paper  made  with 
the  harder  and  purer  varieties  of  gelatine  does  not  answer 
the  purpose,  though  a  little  may  be  added  to  the  starch 
paste  to  improve  its  quality. 

The  advantages  of  laying  down  a  dry  transfer  on  a 
wet  stone,  when  it  can  be  successfully  done,  are  many  and 
great.  It  is  easier  to  damp  the  stone  than  the  paper; 
it  is  quicker.  Patched  transfers  can  be  put  down  with- 
out creasing  them,  and  all  can  be  transferred  without 
altered  dimensions. 

Everything  is  to  be  prepared  as  for  the  mode  of  trans- 
ferring last  mentioned ;  but  instead  of  damping  the  paper 
the  stone  is  to  be  made  wet  with  a  perfectly  clean  sponge, 
linen  rag,  or  wash  leather,  the  latter  being  preferred  be- 
cause it  leaves  less  loose  material  from  its  surface  upon 


of  Lithography.  77 

the  stone.  The  quantity  of  water  to  be  left  upon  the 
stone  must  be  determined  by  experience,  but  it  may  be 
sufficient  to  say  that  no  more  is  required  than  will  unite 
with  the  composition  and  cause  it  to  adhere  to  the  stone. 
Thus,  a  plate  transfer  paper  would  take  up  more  water 
than  a  writing  transfer  paper.  If  the  stone  be  wetted 
to  about  the  same  degree  as  is  required  in  printing,  the 
water  will  be  found  in  about  the  right  quantity. 

The  stone  being  ready,  the  transfer  is  laid  upon  it  as 
in  the  first  process,  and  as  quickly  as  possible  passed 
through  the  press  under  proper  pressure,  about  three 
times  over.  By  this  time  the  stone  should  be  dry,  which 
may  be  ascertained  by  lifting  a  corner;  if  not  dry  let  it 
remain  uncovered  until  it  is  so.  If  the  stone  is  dry,  it 
may  be  assumed  that  there  is  no  impediment  to  its 
union  with  the  ink,  and  the  back  of  the  mounting  paper 
may  be  wetted  until  the  gum  is  soft  enough  to  allow  it  to 
be  lifted,  leaving  the  transfers  upon  the  stone. 

The  transfer  may  now  be  considered  to  be  in  the  same 
condition  as  after  the  first  pulls  in  the  last  process,  and 
may  be  damped,  etc.,  and  finished  in  the  same  manner, 
the  transfer  paper  allowing  of  the  subsequent  damping 
without  blistering,  if  the  process  has  been  successful. 

Transferring  by  Damping  the  Transfer  and  Wetting 
the  Stone  may  be  resorted  to  with  great  advantage  when 
the  transfers  are  very  large,  and  more  especially  so 
tracings  on  transfer  paper.  These  latter  are  very  diffi- 
cult to  damp  properly,  because  the  varnish  by  which  the 
paper  is  rendered  transparent  fills  up  the  pores  of  the 
paper  and  prevents  the  entry  of  the  water  for  a  long  time 
in  damping  the  back  of  the  transfer,  both  before  and 


78  Practical  Text  Book 

after  it  has  been  subjected  to  pressure;  while  if  it  be 
put  into  a  damp  book  or  cloth  the  probability  is  that  the 
composition  will  either  be  too  damp  or  not  damp  enough. 
If  it  becomes  too  damp,  two  results  will  follow  in  lay- 
ing it  down  on  the  dry  stone : 

a.  If  the  composition  touch  with  stone  in  a  place  where 
a  line  or  other  inkmark  subsequently  falls,  it  will  prevent  its 
adherence  to  the  stone. 

b.  If  a  line  first  touches  the  stone,  and  afterwards  shifts, 
it  will  attach  itself  by  mere  contact  to  the  stone  in  the  first 
instance,    because   the   composition   has   become   so    soft;    and 
when  the  job  is  transferred,  the  line  will  probably  present  a 
broken    appearance,    thus  : ,    in- 
stead of  being  continuous,  as   intended  by   the   draughtsman. 
Now,  if  the  transfer  be  damped  upon  the  back,  so  as  to  render 
it  limp  before  the  composition  is  softened,  the  transfer  may  be 
shifted  considerably  on  the  stone  without  injury;   and  if  the 
stone  be  wetted  to  make  it  adhere,  the  conditions  of  success 
will    have   been,    in   a   great    measure,   complied    with.     After 
sufficient  pressure  has  been  applied,  it  should  be  allowed  to  dry 
on  the  stone  (which  takes  a  little  longer  when  this  process  is 
used),  and  then  treated  as  for  transferring  to  dry  stone. 

It  may  here  be  pointed  out  that  in  the  dry  stone  pro- 
cess described,  the  dry  stone  absorbs  the  damp  from  the 
transfer,  while  in  the  wet  stone  method  the  transfer 
absorbs  much  of  it  from  the  stone ;  but  in  the  way 
just  treated  of,  both  being  damped,  the  one  has  no  chance 
of  correcting  the  other,  and  must  be  permitted  to  dry 
before  being  taken  off  the  stone. 


CHAPTER   VII. 
LITHOGRAPHY  ON  PAPER;  OR  TRANSFER  LITHOGRAPHY. 

FORMER  chapters  will  have  placed  the  student  in 
possession  of  the  theory  regulating  the  employment 
of  lithographic  stones  as  well  as  the  art  of  preparing  them 
for  printing.  He  has  also  been  shown  the  uses  and  na- 
ture of  transfer-paper,  and  the  materials  for  writing 
and  drawing  upon  it.  He  is  now  ready  to  commence 
the  actual  practice  of  lithography. 

As  the  latter  is  a  very  comprehensive  and  compli- 
cated subject,  it  may  be  well  to  take  it  up  at  that  part 
which  offers  fewest  obstacles  to  the  beginner.  For  this 
reason  we  begin  with  Lithography  on  Transfer-Paper. 
Prepare  the  ink  as  described  in  Chapter  III,  "Ink 
Drawing  on  Stone." 

Ink  for  Law  Writing,  when  much  is  used,  may  be 
conveniently  mixed  in  larger  quantities,  and  ought  to  keep 
well  for  a  month  after  preparation.  It  is  usually  used 
with  ordinary  fine-point  steel  pens  depositing  a  good 
quantity  of  ink,  which  latter  consequently  may  be  made 
much  thinner  than  is  usual  with  other  styles  of  work. 
Take  a  piece  of  stick  ink  and  cut  it  into  fine  shavings; 
put  it  into  a  small  clean  saucepan,  cover  it  with  dis- 
tilled or  filtered  rain-water,  make  it  simmer  over  a  fire 
until  dissolved,  and  then  add  more  water  until  brought  to 
such  a  condition  that  it  will  flow  quite  freely  from  the 


80  Practical  Text  Book 

pen  when  used  with  rapidity.  Cork  it  up  in  a  bottle,  and 
use  it  as  wanted  from  small  ink-pots,  to  economize. 

The  transfer-paper  is  supplied  ready  ruled  for  use 
to  the  law-writer,  who  has  simply  to  attend  to  the  fol- 
lowing rules: 

First — Write  upon  a  pad  of  blotting-paper,  but  never 
use  it  to  blot  off  the  writing. 

Second — Be  careful  to  use  a  piece  of  clean  paper 
under  the  hand  when  writing,  and  scrupulously  avoid 
handling  the  paper  or  even  touching  it  with  the  fingers, 
except  at  the  edges  where  no  writing  is  to  occur.  Finger 
marks  from  a  moist  or  greasy  hand  roll  up  black. 

Third — Corrections  may  be  made,  if  small,  by  remov- 
ing the  ink  with  india-rubber  or  ink-eraser,  or,  if  large, 
by  washing  it  out  with  clean  spirits  of  turpentine  or 
benzoline.  In  either  case  it  must  be  taken  out  without 
leaving  any  of  the  previous  ink,  or  the  whole  intended 
correction  may  roll  up  black.  Sometimes  it  may  be  bet- 
ter to  paste  (using  as  little  as  possible)  a  clean  piece  of 
transfer-paper  over  the  part  to  be  corrected,  but  gum 
must  not  be  used. 

Fourth — If  the  paper  works  greasily,  rub  it  with 
powdered  whiting  or  chalk,  or  wash  it  clean  with  spirits 
of  turpentine  or  benzoline,  or  rub  it  well  with  clean  india- 
rubber. 

Sheets  of  Quantities,  for  architects  and  engineers, 
in  addition  to  the  cross  lines  for  writing  upon,  have 
down  lines  identical  with  the  down  lines  of  the  sheet 
upon  which  they  are  to  be  printed.  They  should  be 
ruled  by  the  machine-ruler  at  the  same  time  as  the  trans- 
fer-paper is  ruled,  and  kept  in  stock.  When  the  transfer 


of  Lithography.  81 

is  laid  down,  the  place  of  its  margin  is  marked  with  the 
lead  upon  the  stone,  and  a  correct  "lay"  thus  made  for 
the  sheet  to  be  printed. 

In  writing  "old  English"  or  "German  text,"  take  either 
a  quill  or  steel  pen,  and  form  a  nib  of  nearly  the  width 
of  the  letter  required ;  with  this  make  all  the  thick  strokes, 
with  very  little  ink  in  the  pen,  taking  it  up  as  often  as 
required,  being  careful  not  to  deposit  upon  the  paper 
sufficient  ink  to  spread,  nor  so  little  as  not  to  transfer 
properly.  When  the  thick  strokes  are  dry,  the  thin 
ones  may  be  put  in  with  a  fine  pen.  It  is  usual  in  prac- 
tice to  carry  all  the  writing  forward  and  slightly  pencil 
the  words  for  "texting,"  which  is  then  done  after- 
wards. It  may  be  useful  to  point  out  that  in  making- 
pens  for  these  broad  strokes,  the  smaller  the  cylinder  of 
which  the  pen  forms  a  part,  the  less  liable  is  the  ink 
to  be  deposited  on  the  paper  in  inconveniently  large 
quantities. 

Copperplate  Style  and  Fine  Ornamental  Writing  is 
executed  in  a  more  careful  and  methodical  manner  on  a 
finer  and  thinner  paper.  The  learner  will  require  very 
fine  pens,  the  points,  if  steel,  being  so  sharp  that  they 
will  hitch  in  the  paper  in  making  the  upstroke  if  it  is 
laid  on  a  flat  surface  in  the  ordinary  way.  This  is  to  be 
avoided,  in  using  both  the  steel  and  quill  pens,  by  placing 
the  left  hand  underneath  the  top  edge  of  the  paper  so 
as  to  raise  it  from  the  table,  the  strokes  may  then  be 
made  on  the  yielding  surface  of  the  thin  transfer-paper 
much  more  delicately  and  safely  than  when  the  paper 
is  resting  on  the  pad.  Although  this  method  will  be 
found  difficult  at  first,  it  is  necessary  to  be  accomplished 


82  Practical  Text  Book 

to  become  a  transfer-writer.  The  letters  must  be  made 
as  carefully  and  slowly  as  may  be  found  necessary  to 
produce  the  forms  required.  Lines  in  pencil  may  be 
ruled  all  over  the  paper  at  about  an  angle  of  40  degrees 
with  the  perpendicular,  to  keep  to  the  correct  slope; 
and  double  lines  to  write  between  to  get  the  letters  all 
one  size ;  and  if  a  middle  line  be  added,  a  good  guide 
will  be  obtained  for  the  tops  and  tails  of  the  letters. 

When  a  Drawing  has  to  be  made  with  Instruments  or 
the  Lithographic  Brush  a  stouter  paper  is  better  to  work 
upon,  and  is  best  for  use  when  strained  in  the  following 
manner : 

Sponge  the  back  with  water  in  proportion  to  the 
thickness  of  the  paper,  sparingly  if  thin;  let  it  lie  a  few 
minutes  for  the  water  to  be  absorbed,  gum  or  paste  it 
round  the  edges,  and  attach  it  to  a  smooth  drawing- 
board;  take  a  piece  of  plain  stout  paper,  wet  it  well 
until  pliable,  and  lay  it  upon  the  transfer-paper,  folding 
back  the  edges  so  as  to  leave  the  pasted  edge  free.  The 
side  in  contact  with  the  transfer-paper  should  not  be  wet. 

The  following  points  must  be  carefully  attended  to: 

First — All  lines  are  to  print  quite  black,  and  consequently 

Second — No  attempt  must  be  made  to  get  effect  by  using 
pale  ink. 

Third — Thick  ink  will  spread  in  transferring,  and  must 
therefore  not  be  used  in  producing  deep  shades  by  lines  lying 
close  to  each  other. 

Fourth — Thin  lines  with  very  pale  ink  will  probably  fail 
altogether. 

Fifth— The  ink  being  dissolved  in  water,  the  latter  has  a 
tendency  to  soften  the  composition  on  the  transfer-paper;  it 
therefore  becomes  necessary  not  to  go  over,  with  the  pen,  the 
same  place  twice  while  the  ink  is  wet,  or  the  result  may  be 
that  the  composition  will  become  mixed  with  the  ink  and 
destroy  its  qualities. 


of  Lithography.  83 

Transfer  Tracing  Paper  may  be  used  most  coni- 
veniently  in  the  same  way.  When  all  the  outlining  has 
been  done  upon  it,  a  cut  may  be  made  down  one  edge  and 
a  piece  of  white  paper  slipped  between  it  and  the  original, 
so  that  the  shading  may  be  done  without  the  interference 
of  the  shading  of  the  pattern. 

Chalk-Transfer  Paper  is  a  revival  of  an  old  process 
known  almost  as  long  as  Lithography  itself,  and 
it  possesses  peculiar  advantages.  The  etched  stippled 
plate  produces  a  series  of  points  which  rise  to  the 
same  height  from  the  body  of  the  paper,  and  are  so 
close  to  each  other  that  the  point  of  the  crayon  cannot 
penetrate  between  them,  while  the  sand-grain  consists 
of  pyramids  or  cones  of  varying  size  and  height.  The 
practical  difference  is  that  in  drawing  on  the  paper 
grained  by  the  stippled  plate  there  are  no  intermediate 
lower  dots  to  receive  the  chalk  when  more  pressure  is 
applied  to  deposit  a  greater  quantity,  and  the  work  is 
consequently  more  open  and  better  fit  for  transferring 
and  printing  from  than  the  sand-grain,  in  which  such 
favorable  conditions  cannot  exist.  For  the  same  reason 
a  harder  chalk,  such  as  copal,  can  be  used  for  this  kind 
of  paper,  while  for  the  ordinary  grain  Lemercier's  No. 
2  will  be  found  better.  Nevertheless,  the  stippled  plate, 
by  its  mechanical  mode  of  production,  produces  a  kind 
of  pattern  that  is  objectionable  to  the  practiced  eye, 
which,  added  to  its  high  price,  has  given  an  impetus  to 
the  use  of  paper  prepared  by  the  older  method. 

Grained  paper  is  eminently  suited  to  the  purpose  of 
the  amateur  by  reason  of  its  extreme  portability  as  com- 
pared with  stone,  and  not  requiring  the  drawing  re- 


84  Practical  Text  Book 

versed  as  regards  right  and  left.  This  latter  quality 
will  recommend  it  to  the  artist  for  the  production  of 
drawing  copies,  because  he  can  then  set  before  the  stu- 
dent a  pattern  that  does  not  appear  in  the  disposition 
of  its  shading  and  foliage  touches  to  have  been  produced 
with  the  left  hand,  which  is  often  the  case  with  those 
drawn  direct  upon  stone. 

Facsimiles  of  writing  are  produced  by  placing  a  piece 
of  tracing  transfer-paper  over  the  manuscript  to  be 
copied,  and  carefully  going  over  the  whole  with  a  pen  or 
brush.  If  required  for  mere  commercial  work,  less  care 
may  be  bestowed  upon  it — unless  the  customer  is  unusu- 
ally fastidious — than  for  purposes  required  for  courts 
of  law  and  copies  of  curious  or  old  manuscripts. 

Autography  is  a  term  applicable  to  all  kinds  of  writing 
upon  transfer-paper,  but  usually  restricted  to  writing 
upon  plain  hard-sized  writing-paper,  with  a  strong  litho- 
graphic ink.  This  process,  though  yielding  fair  results, 
is  yet  inferior  to  writing  upon  transfer-paper,  because 
only  part,  instead  of  the  whole  of  the  ink,  is  left  upon 
the  stone  in  transferring. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
PROVING,  ROLLING  UP  AND  PRINTING. 

FOLLOWING  up  what  has  been  explained  in  pre- 
vious chapters,  we  are  ready  to  enter  upon  the 
actual  printing  of  drawings  and  writings  on  lithographic 
stones. 

Treatment  of  Transfers  previous  to  Printing. — This 
includes  the  "proving"  of  the  work:  by  which  is  meant 
the  "rolling  up,"  cleaning,  etching,  and  taking  the  first 
impressions  to  be  submitted  to  the  customer;  and  the 
instructions  equally  apply  to  drawings  or  writings  exe- 
cuted direct  upon  the  stone. 

Suppose  the  drawing  to  be  composed  of  very  fine 
lines,  the  printer  may  have  some  doubt  as  to  all  the 
details  being  firm  upon  the  stone  if  rolled  up  in  the 
ordinary  way.  He  may  then  take,  in  a  sponge,  some  gum- 
water  (free  from  acid)  of  the  consistency  of  oil,  and 
pass  it  over  the  entire  drawing,  using  the  left  hand,  while 
in  his  right  he  has  a  pad  of  soft  rag  charged  with  a 
mixture  of  turpentine,  thin  printing  ink,  and  stone  re- 
transfer  ink,  which  may  be  rubbed  over  the  drawing 
upon  the  still  wet  gum-water,  with  a  circular  motion, 
recharging  the  pad  with  ink  and  the  sponge  with  gum- 
water  as  often  as  necessary.  This  should  develop  every 
line  of  the  drawing,  and  render  it  quite  black.  By  keep- 
ing sufficient  gum  upon  the  stone  there  is  little  fear  of 


86  Practical  Text  Book 

injuring  the  drawing,  though  it  will  make  the  stone  very 
dirty  in  appearance  by  reason  of  the  mixture  of  ink  and 
gum ;  this,  however,  may  be  removed  by  a  wash  of  clean 
water,  and  the  stone  gummed  in  with  clean  gum  and  set 
aside  for  the  ink  to  penetrate.  In  this  operation  the 
stone  may  be  warm  but  of  course  it  must  be  set  aside 
after  this  treatment  to  cool. 

If  there  be  any  idea  that  the  transfer  is  weak,  and  if 
the  stone  is  cold,  it  may  be  rolled  up  with  the  roller 
previous  to  gumming  it,  but  this  must  be  done  cautiously, 
because  the  ink  will,  in  the  absence  of  gum,  attach  itself 
to  the  slightest  grease  upon  the  stone.  It  is  also  very 
apt  to  cause  the  lines  to  spread,  and  is  to  be  recom- 
mended only  in  cases  when  the  work  is  wanted  quickly 
and  almost  anything  will  pass  muster ;  such  as  the  cheaper 
kinds  of  law  work. 

The  common  and  best  way  for  the  ordinary  run  of 
work  is  to  gum  the  stone,  after  the  transfer  is  made,  with 
fresh  gum;  allow  it  to  dry,  wash  off  with  clean  water, 
and  roll  up  carefully  with  ink  of  medium  strength. 

Whichever  method  may  have  been  adopted,  the  dirt 
will  have  made  its  appearance,  and  must  be  removed. 
This  may  be  done  by  the  conjunctive  employment  of  the 
following  methods: 

First. — Clean  the  edges  and  other  parts  of  the  stone 
where  there  is  no  work  with  a  water-sponge  and  piece  of 
snake  or  pumice-stone,  using  a  small  pencil  of  the  same  to 
get  between  the  lines.  The  principal  part  of  the  dirt  may 
thus  be  taken  away;  but  as  there  will  most  probably  be 
specks  among  the  work  that  cannot  be  got  at  with  the 
snake-stone  pencil,  use  the  acid  "stump"  as  now  to  be 
described. 


of  Lithography.  87 

Second. — Having  a  water-sponge  in  the  left  hand, 
dip  the  acid  stump*  into  the  gum  and  acid,  and  try  it 
upon  the  edge  of  the  stone,  when  it  will  be  found  to 
effervesce  energetically  if  strong  enough.  This  will  also 
reduce  the  quantity  on  the  stump,  which  may  now  be 
applied  to  the  speck  to  be  removed,  rubbing  it  with  the 
wood  point.  If  any  acid  be  observed  to  spread  in  dan- 
gerous proximity  to  other  lines,  the  water  or  gum-sponge 
must  be  quickly  used  to  wipe  it  off. 

Third. — The  finishing  touches  of  cleaning  between 
very  close  work,  reducing  the  thickness  of  lines,  &c., 
must  be  done  with  a  sharp  scraper,  such  as  a  mezzotint- 
scraper,  or  a  penknife.  * 

The  work  having  been  cleaned,  must  now  be  rolled 
up  again  cleanly,  but  strongly ;  and  etched  in  the  following 
simple  manner: 

Have  ready  a  small  basin  or  other  convenient  vessel, 
containing  acid  and  water  of  about  the  strength  of  lemon- 
juice,  or  of  such  strength  as  to  effervesce  gently  when 
applied  to  the  stone.  Now,  with  a  soft  sponge  charged 
with  this  dilute  acid,  go  regularly  and  quickly  all  over 

*  Acid  Stumps  are  small  pointed  pieces  of  box  or  other 
hard  wood,  to  be  kept  at  hand  and  used  with  strong  acid  or 
(better  still)  gum  and  acid,  for  removing  any  specks  of  dirt 
from  the  stone.  Taking  these  in  the  right  hand,  a  water  or  gum 
sponge  is  held  in  the  left  to  wash  away  instantly  the  acid  when 
it  has  removed  the  dirt. 

t  Mezzotint  is  applied  to  a  process  of  engraving,  so  called 
because  it  was  at  first  supposed  to  require  a  large  amount  of 
middle  tint  or  half-tone  in  the  distribution  of  masses  of  light 
and  shade.  The  ground  is  scraped  away  to  the  various  degrees 
of  lightness  required.  Mezzotint  scrapers  are  useful  for  cor- 
recting work  upon  stone  either  for  the  use  of  the  artist  or 
printer;  but  in  default  of  possessing  one,  a  penknife  or  the 
ordinary  erasing-knife  may  be  employed. 


88  Practical  Text  Book 

the  stone  with  a  light  hand,  and  again  over  the  edges  and 
other  bare  parts.  After  this  gum  in  and  allow  to  dry. 

When  the  work  consists  of  narrow  surfaces  like  lines 
and  dots,  the  etching-water,  if  used  in  moderate  quantity, 
is  thrown  off  again  as  soon  as  the  sponge  has  passed 
over,  by  reason  of  the  greasiness  of  the  work.  But  if 
the  work  contains  any  broad  surfaces  of  solid  black, 
more  care  must  be  taken,  because  the  repelling  power 
of  the  ink  will  not  be  strong  enough  to  throw  off  the 
acidulated  water,  which,  standing  in  patches  on  such 
surface,  will  be  likely  to  find  its  way  through  the  ink 
to  the  stone,  and  cause  a  gray  appearance  when  printed. 
By  using  powdered  rosin  as  next  described,  this  difficulty 
will  be  overcome. 

If  the  work  is  to  be  printed  at  machine,  or  to  go  into 
the  hands  of  an  inexperienced  youth  to  be  printed,  it 
may  be  treated  with  powdered  rosin. t  Roll  up  in  rather 
thin  ink:  dust  over  the  rosin  when  the  stone  is  dry; 
wipe  off  what  is  superfluous  with  water-sponge,  and  re- 
peat the  operation.  Set  it  aside  for  a  short  time  for  the 
ink  and  rosin  to  incorporate,  when,  on  taking  it  up 
again,  it  will  probably  allow  of  another  dusting  without 
rolling  up. 

The  stone  may  now  be  acidulated  freely  without  fear 
of  injury ;  either  the  strength  of  the  acid  being  increased, 
or  the  application  several  times  renewed.  The  acid  is 

t  Rosin  is  the  residue  left  over  in  the  distillation  of  turpen- 
tine. It  is  an  exceptional  resistant  for  acid,  and  when  finely 
powdered  and  dusted  on  to  the  work  it  is  practically  impossible 
for  the  regular  etching  solution  to  injure  the  grease  or  design 
part;  should  the  rosin  not  be  finely  powdered,  the  acid  will  find 
its  way  between  the  coarse  particles  and  thus  give  a  burnt  or 
rotten  appearance  to  the  work. 


of  Lithography.  89 

best  used  with  gum  and  applied  with  a  broad  flat  brush, 
if  considerable  relief  is  desired,  but  for  ordinary  work 
the  sponge  and  ordinary  etching-water  will  be  sufficient. 

The  stone  having  been  gummed,  the  ink  and  rosin  are 
now  to  be  washed  off  with  rag  and  "turps,"  or  a  mixture 
of  two  parts  spirits  of  turpentine,  and  one  part  olive 
oil,  which  should  be  kept  for  washing  out  drawings  when 
necessary,  and  spirits  of  turpentine  should  always  be 
at  hand.  It  should  be  again  rolled  up,  gummed,  and 
set  aside  to  dry. 

It  is  desirable,  whenever  there  is  time  and  opportunity, 
to  allow  some  hours  or  even  days,  to  intervene  between 
the  getting  ready  or  proving  of  the  stone,  and  beginning 
to  print;  though  when  work  is  wanted  immediately  it 
may  be  put  in  hand  at  once. 

Marking  the  Stone  for  laying  down  Transfers,  &c. — 
Before  proceeding  to  lay  down  the  transfers,  it  should 
be  ascertained  whether  they  are  to  be  printed  on  the 
whole  sheet  or  on  some  part  of  it.  If  the  job  to  be 
printed  is  to  run  a  small  number  only,  it  may  be  trans- 
ferred to  any  convenient  part  of  the  stone,  because  one 
at  a  time  will  be  all  that  will  be  found  necessary  to 
print;  while  if  a  large  number  is  required,  resort  will 
be  had  to  multiplication  by  transferring,  and  care  must  be 
taken  to  put  the  transfers  properly  in  position  on  the 
stone.  Let  an  example  be  taken. 

For  instance,  a  hundred  8vo.  one-page  circulars, 
with  fly-leaf.  These  may  be  printed  on  quarter-sheets 
of  paper  and  then  sent  to  the  stationer  to  fold  and  cut; 
but  as  he  cannot  well  do  it  without  causing  them  to 
set  off  in  the  cutting,  they  may  be  printed  upon  ready- 


90  Practical  Text  Book 

folded  8vo.  paper.  Take  the  necessary  quantity  of  paper 
section  by  section,  open  it,  and  "break  its  back,"  so  that 
it  may  lie  flat  and  open.  Lay  it  inner  side  uppermost. 
Lay  the  next  section  across  it  in  the  same  manner,  and 
so  on,  to  make  a  heap,  in  which  each  section  is  distinct 
from  another  by  the  long  way  of  one  being  set  across  the 
short  way  of  the  other.  Now  lay  the  top  sheet  with  its 
under  side  upon  the  stone,  and  when  taken  off,  place  the 
printed  side  up.  When  the  section  is  printed  and  thus 
laid,  as  soon  as  it  is  complete,  it  may  be  easily  refolded 
in  the  same  manner  as  it  was  at  first,  and  in  like  manner 
the  rest  may  be  printed. 

This  method  will  answer  for  any  single  page,  or  for 
first  and  fourth,  or  second  and  third;  but  when  first  and 
second  or  first  and  third  pages  are  required  to  be  printed, 
they  are  managed  differently. 

Let  it  be  required  to  print  first  and  second  pages. 

(a).  Transfer  first  page  to  the  right  and  second 
page  to  the  left,  so  that  an  inch  more  space  is  left  be- 
tween them  than  if  they  were  intended  for  second  and 
third:  or, 

(&).  Transfer  the  pages  one  above  the  other,  with 
space  enough  to  prevent  the  paper  overlapping.  To 
start  printing,  lay  a  piece  of  waste  paper  over  page  2 
and  the  first  side  of  the  note-paper  over  page  I,  in 
proper  position  and  pull  impression ;  now  lay  second  side 
of  printed  sheet  on  page  2,  and  the  first  side  of  a  clean 
sheet  over  page  I ;  cover  the  printed  side  (which  now 
lies  uppermost  on  the  stone)  with  a  piece  of  tissue-paper 
and  pull  through  the  press,  when  one  will  be  completed 
and  the  other  half-done.  By  continuing  this  method  the 


of  Lithography.  91 

whole  may  be  completed  and  printed  on  both  sides  in 
as  many  pulls  as  there  are  sheets  to  be  printed,  plus  two. 
They  may  also  be  printed  first  on  one  side  only,  and  then 
completed  by  printing  the  second  side.  In  this  case, 
during  the  second  printing,  two  printed  sides  will  be  up- 
permost upon  the  stone,  and  a  larger  sheet  of  tissue  must 
be  used,  so  as  to  cover  both.  In  each  case  the  quantity 
of  tissue  paper  required  is  the  same. 

To  print  first  and  third  pages,  transfer 

(a)  First  page  to  left  hand  and  third  to  the  right, 
leaving  no  extra  space,  but  exactly  as  if  first  and  fourth 
were  to  be  printed;  or 

(6)  First  to  right,  third  to  left,  leaving  no  extra 
space;  or 

(c)  Transfer  one  above  the  other.     To  print, 

(a)  Lay  third  page  down  and  then  first  with  fourth 
page  overlapping  fourth. 

(&).  First,  lay  page  i  and  next  page  3,  when  page 
2  will  fall  on  page  2.  The  tissue-paper  is  to  be  used  as 
before. 

Printing. — In  the  last  few  paragraphs  it  has  been 
necessary,  to  avoid  complexity  of  description,  to  assume 
that  the  student  knows  how  to  use  the  printing-roller, 
damping-cloth,  &c. ;  but  as  that  was  an  assumption  only, 
it  is  proposed  now  to  deal  more  fully  with  this  highly 
important  subject. 

Let  it  be  now  supposed  that  the  student  has  placed 
at  his  disposal  a  piece  of  work  on  stone  that  is  in  proper 
condition  for  printing,  and  that  he  desires  to  take  impres- 
sions therefrom.  He  will  require  a  roller,  ink,  palette- 
knife,  sponge,  damping-cloth,  and  a  basin  of  water. 


92  Practical  Text  Book 

As  he  is  supposed  to  be  as  yet  unacquainted  with  the 
process,  he  must  not  begin  at  once  to  work,  because  the 
stone  is  not  in  working  condition.  The  first  thing  to 
be  attended  to  is  its  temperature.  If  it  is  warm,  the  gum 
may  be  washed  off  its  surface,  and  it  may  be  put  to  soak 
for  an  hour  in  cold  water ;  or  it  may  be  set  aside  in  any 
cold  place  as  long  as  convenient;  the  object  being  to 
equalize  the  temperature  of  the  stone  to  that  of  the  print- 
ing-room. If  the  stone  has  been  put  into  a  cold,  dry 
place,  the  first  thing  to  be  done  will  be  to  saturate  its 
surface  with  cold  water.  This  may  readily  be  done  by 
washing  off  the  gum  with  a  sponge  and  water  leaving 
a  pool  of  water  upon  its  surface,  and  laying  a  sheet  of 
paper  on  it.  The  paper  will  keep  the  water  from  run- 
ning off  or  drying  in  patches,  while  it  is  soaking  into 
the  stone.  The  damping-cloth  may  be  used  for  the  same 
purpose,  but  after  being  a  short  time  in  use  it  usually 
so  full  of  holes  that  it  would  answer  the  purpose  only 
imperfectly. 

While  the  stone  is  absorbing  water,  the  ink  may  be 
prepared  for  printing.  It  has  been  mentioned  that  the 
printing  ink,  as  bought  from  the  manufacturer,  is  much 
too  thick  for  use;  in  fact,  the  ordinary  palette-knife  is 
hardly  strong  enough  to  remove  it  from  the  can,  and  a 
short  stiff  one  should  be  used  for  that  purpose,  if  at 
hand.  If  the  weather  is  cold,  and  the  ink  stiff,  a  thin, 
flexible  knife  is  very  likely  to  be  broken,  if  used  for  its 
removal. 

Before  the  printing  can  be  proceeded  with,  some  of 
this  ink  must  be  reduced  with  varnish  to  a  thinner  con- 
dition. Though  the  printer  is  not  called  upon  to  make 


of  Lithography.  93 

his  own  black  ink,  yet  he  has  frequently  to  produce  his 
colored  inks.  To  do  this  he  takes  a  small  quantity  of 
medium  or  medium  and  thin  varnish,  and  rubs  as  much 
color  as  he  can  into  it  with  his  palette-knife;  and  then 
with  the  muller  he  grinds  it  upon  the  slab.  After  it 
has  been  thus  spread  over  the  slab,  he  gathers  it  up  with 
the  knife,  and  adds  more  color.  By  repeating  this  oper- 
ation frequently,  the  ink  gradually  becomes  stiffer,  till 
no  more  can  be  added  with  the  knife,  and  the  color 
has  to  be  added  by  dropping  a  varnish  with  rosin  (as 
is  done  with  varnish  for  letter-press  ink),  instead  of 
producing  the  viscidity  by  burning  only. 

As  varnish  is  an  article  manufactured  on  a  large 
scale,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  purchasing  it  of  a  quality 
to  answer  the  lithographer's  purpose.  It  is  made  of 
several  degrees  of  strength,  known  in  the  trade  by  the 
terms  thin,  tinting,  medium,  and  thick.  The  more  trans- 
parent and  free  from  color  it  is,  the  better  it  answer  the 
purpose  of  Chromo-lithography,  as  frequently  the  ink, 
in  this  style  of  printing,  is  only  varnish,  stained,  as  it 
were,  with  a  little  color  or  pigment.  If  this  is  light 
or  delicate,  it  is  essential  to  have  the  varnish  as  color- 
less as  possible. 

It  may  not  be  inopportune  at  this  point  to  introduce 
a  chapter  devoted  entirely  to  inks,  as  many  references 
are  made  thereto  in  subsequent  pages. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
INKS,  VARNISHERS  AND  DRYERS. 

BLACK  Printing  Ink — Crayon  Commercial  Poster. — 
In  the  study  of  lithographic  printing  inks,  the  first 
and  most  useful  is  the  black  printing  ink,  which,  in  its 
finer  grade,  is  known  as  crayon  black.  In  the  United 
States  the  lamp  black,  which  largely  enters  into  its  com- 
position, is  procured  in  the  natural  gas  regions,  where 
jets  of  gas  are  directed  against  iron  plates  in  an  oven- 
like  machine.  And  when  the  soot  or  lamp  black  has 
collected  to  a  sufficient  depth,  it  is  then  scraped  off, 
placed  in  bags,  and  in  this  condition  sent  to  the  ink 
maker.  When  ground  in  a  suitable  lithographic  varnish, 
a  slight  proportion  of  blue  is  added,  as  the  black  of  itself 
shows  a  brownish  tone;  therefore  many  of  the  deepest 
blacks  have  a  large  percentage  of  blue  in  them.  Trans- 
fer ink  has  already  been  noticed  under  a  previous  head. 

Colored  Inks. — It  is  advisable  in  taking  up  the  study 
of  lithographic  colored  inks  to  divide  them  into  three 
classes;  first,  opaque;  second,  semi-transparent;  third, 
transparent. 

Opaque. — Dense,  great  covering  powers. — Black, 
vermillion,  white,  lemon  yellow,  orange  yellow,  chrome 
yellow. 

Semi-Transparent. — Medium  density,  medium  cover- 
ing power. — Cardinal  red,  scarlet  red,  bronze  blue,  milori 


of  Lithography.  95 

blue,  medium  green,  purple,  umber,  sienna. 

Transparent. — Weak  in  coloring. — Carmine,  yellow 
lake,  orange  lake,  madder  lake,  krapp  lake,  green  lake, 
blue  lake. 

In  addition  to  the  above  the  following  special  colors 
are  often  used : 

Opaque. — Concentrated  blue,  ultramarine  blue,  French 
blue,  photo  brown,  flake  white,  silver  white,  gloss  white. 

Semi-Transparent. — Process  yellow,  bronze  red,  Jac- 
queminot lake,  Antwerp  blue,  Bismarck  brown,  royal 
purple,  permanent  purple,  Chemnitz  white. 

Transparent. — Indian  yellow,  rose  lake,  emerald  green, 
Victoria  green,  silk  green,  smaragd  green. 

Manufacture  of  Yellows. — Generally  speaking,  the 
yellows  which  are  opaque  are  made  from  acetate  of  lead 
and  bichromate  of  potash.  Soda  changes  this  color  from 
pale  to  deep.  From  its  composition  it  can  be  readily 
understood  that  an  excess  of  potash  or  soda  left  in  the 
color  which  is  formed  by  precipitation,  would  act  in- 
juriously upon  the  work  on  stone  (oleo  margarate  of 
calcium),  and  should  a  yellow  ink  cause  wearing  while 
running  on  the  press  it  can  generally  be  laid  to  this 
source.  The  remedy  is  the  addition  of  sufficient  solid 
oil,  such  as  vaseline,  or  a  compound  which  is  paraffine 
wax  mixed  with  thin  varnish  in  a  sufficient  quantity 
to  counteract  the  wearing  quality  of  the  ink. 

Lake — All  Lake  Inks  are  Coloring  Matter  Added  to 
a  Transparent  Base. — Where  the  term  Lake  is  used  in 
naming  lithographic  inks  it  means  that  the  coloring 
matter  has  been  added  to  a  transparent  base  called  Lake, 
which  will  often  account  for  the  great  variation  in  price 


96  Practical  Text  Book 

of  articles  bearing  the  same  name,  and  to  all  appear- 
ances similar.  The  amount  of  coloring  matter  added  to 
the  base  is  what  counts  in  the  strength,  brilliancy  and 
durability  of  the  color. 

Yellow  Lake. — The  transparent  yellows,  such  as  Yel- 
low Lake,  are  prepared  from  Persian  berries  and  cream 
of  tartar,  with  alum  and  with  a  lake  base.  This  gives 
a  transparent,  brilliant  color,  but,  as  is  common  with  all 
colors  of  a  vegetable  origin,  it  readily  fades  when  exposed 
to  light.  Its  best  use  is  in  the  making  of  flesh  tints, 
grays  or  creams,  but  it  is  not  to  be  recommended  where 
an  opaque  yellow  can  answer  the  purpose. 

Vermillion. — In  reds,  vermillion  is  one  of  the  oldest, 
most  useful  and  permanent  of  colors.  It  is  a  compound 
of  mercury  and  sulphur,  its  chemical  name  being  mer- 
curic sulphide.  It  is  the  heaviest  of  all  colors  and  is 
manufactured  in  different  strengths  (English  vermillion 
being  the  easiest  to  work  on  the  lithographic  press). 
When  pure  it  can  be  said  to  be  thoroughly  permanent, 
but  if  adulterated  with  red  lead  it  will  blacken  on  ex- 
posure to  light  in  a  very  short  time.  It  is  of  great 
assistance  when  used  with  the  red  lakes,  as  it  strengthens 
them,  brightens  them,  and  at  the  same  time  adds  some 
of  its  own  apparent  good  qualities  to  those  other  inks 
of  a  vegetable  or  chemical  origin,  which  are  liable  to  fade, 
and  are  termed  fugitive. 

Madder  Lake,  Natural  and  Chemical. — Nearly  all  the 
red  lakes  or  colors,  except  vermillion,  are  of  an  aniline 
or  vegetable  origin,  and,  while  bright  and  effective  for 
the  purposes  intended,  can  not  be  guaranteed  permanent 
for  any  length  of  time. 


of  Lithography.  97 

Madder  lake,  as  now  manufactured,  is  an  instance  of 
this.  It  was  originally  ground  from  madder  roots  and 
when  mixed  was  a  brilliant  and  permanent  color;  but 
lately  a  coloring  matter  similar  in  composition  and  ap- 
pearance has  been  found  in  alizarine,  a  product  of  coal 
tar.  Being  cheap  in  cost,  and  more  uniform  in  its  pro- 
duction, it  has  entirely  superseded  the  use  of  madder 
root  while  still  sold  under  the  name  of  Madder  Lake. 

Bronze  and  Milori  Blues. — Bronze  and  Milori  Blues 
are  most  in  use,  and  have  great  covering  power  when  used 
in  full  strength,  but  are  particularly  transparent  when 
reduced  to  half  strength  or  lighter.  They  are  manufac- 
tured from  green  copperas,  yellow  prussiate  of  potash 
and  nitric  acid.  Bronze  Blue,  when  drying,  has  a  metallic 
sheen,  which  greatly  adds  to  its  attractiveness,  when 
printed  in  the  full  strength.  It  dries  very  rapidly,  and 
in  the  cans  should  be  covered  with  No.  i  varnish  to 
prevent  rapid  oxidation,  which  causes  formation  of  skin. 
On  account  of  its  composition,  care  should  be  exercised 
in  its  use  in  printing,  as  it  will  be  found  of  a  harsh 
nature,  and,  as  with  lemon  yellow,  a  little  litho.  com- 
pound, which,  as  before  stated,  is  composed  of  par- 
affine  wax  and  No.  o  (or  No.  i)  varnish,  can  well  be 
added  to  this  ink.  Again  caution  is  given  never  to  use 
more  oil,  vaseline  or  compound  than  is  absolutely  nec- 
essary, on  account  of  the  non-adhesiveness  of  such  ink 
to  paper.  Especially  so  is  this  the  case  in  the  printing 
of  coated  or  enameled  stock.  French  Blue  and  Con- 
centrated Blue  are  now  on  the  market  in  very  strong 
and  powerful  qualities.  They  are  generally  made  from 
a  copper  base  which  is  first  produced  as  a  green,  the 

7 


98  Practical  Text  Book 

change  into  the  blue  tone  being  effected  by  the  action 
of  caustic  soda.  It  is  then  thoroughly  washed  to  free  the 
coloring  matter  from  any  trace  of  the  chemicals,  and, 
when  ground  up  with  the  proper  grade  of  lithographic 
varnish,  is  ready  for  use  on  the  press. 

Color  Manufacture. — The  Lake  colors  (Blue,  Red, 
Green  and  Yellow)  are  all  in  the  same  class;  a  trans- 
parent base  is  first  made  up.  The  color  is  formed  through 
the  action  of  acids  and  chemicals  on  vegetable  or  coal 
tar  products,  which  throw  down  a  precipitate.  This, 
when  thoroughly  washed  to  free  it  from  the  acids  or 
chemicals  used,  is  added  to  the  transparent  lake  base 
and  ground  together  with  a  suitable  lithographic  varnish 
and  is  then  ready  for  the  market. 

Raw  and  Burnt  Sienna  and  Umber. — Raw  Sienna, 
Burnt  Sienna,  Raw  Umber  and  Burnt  Umber  are  earth 
colors.  Before  being  burnt  they  have  a  yellow  tone  and 
after  burning  they  have  a  brownish  tone.  They  are  very 
gritty  to  work  and  should  not  be  used  pure  or  in  full 
strength,  if  it  can  be  avoided.  They  are  rapid  dryers,  and, 
being  of  a  gritty  nature,  mentioned,  it  is  possible  to  carry 
more  color  on  the  sheet  than  with  a  more  uniform  sub- 
stance. This  is  taken  advantage  of  for  the  printing  of 
bronze  work,  which  requires  a  full  body  of  ink  on  the 
paper  in  order  to  retain  and  hold  the  bronze  powder. 
Work  printed  with  this  ink  will  seldom  rub  off,  will  dry 
rapidly  and  take  a  good  polish  or  a  gloss  when  cleanly 
dusted. 

Medium  Green. — Medium  Green  is  prepared  from 
bichromate  of  potash  and  boracic  acid.  Sometimes 
ammonium  chloride  is  substituted  for  the  boracic  acid. 
It  has  a  good  working  quality  and  is  fairly  permanent. 


of  Lithography.  99 

Emerald  and  Victoria  Green. — Emerald  and  Victoria 
Greens  are  prepared  from  copper  and  arsenic.  They  are 
not  of  a  permanent  nature,  and,  generally  speaking, 
should  be  used  with  some  heavier  color  to  give  them  body 
and  carrying  capacity. 

Permanent  and  Royal  Purple. — Permanent  and  Royal 
Purples  are  useful  when  a  pure  purple  tone  is  wanted. 
Generally  speaking,  Scarlet  Lake  and  French  or  Milori 
Blue  mixed  will  give  a  good  purple  tone  which  is  easy 
to  work  and  cleanly  and  economical  in  use,  but  the  shade 
procured  by  those  means  is  never  as  bright  as  with  a 
pure  purple  ink.  The  Royal  Purple  can  not  be  guaran- 
teed for  permanency,  but  is  much  brighter  in  tone  than 
the  permanent  purple.  A  judicious  way  is  to  use  them  to- 
gether where  possible  and  thus  balance  the  bright  quali- 
ties of  the  one  with  the  permanent  qualities  of  the  other. 

Whites — Chemnitz  and  Flake. — In  whites  the  Chem- 
nitz and  flake  white  will  be  found  of  most  use  in 
lithographic  work.  They  are  generally  used  when  a 
base  tint,  or  color,  has  to  be  run  on  paper  to  tone  same 
previous  to  the  adding  of  the  colors,  thus  making  a  tint 
or  base  of  a  more  durable  and  permanent  tone  than 
could  be  produced  by  the  addition  of  an  equal  amount 
of  varnish. 

Flake  White. — This  color  is  produced  from  metallic 
lead  with  vinegar,  which  in  the  Dutch  process,  in  con- 
nection with  tan  bark,  is  sealed  in  sheds  for  a  period 
of  almost  three  months.  The  lead  being  placed  in  spiral 
ribbons,  in  crucibles,  in  which  vinegar,  or  weak  acetic 
acid  is  poured  (the  floor  of  the  shed  is  laid  with  tan 
bark),  upon  the  first  tier  a  floor  of  wood  covered  with 


100  Practical  Text  Book 

tan  bark  is  placed.  More  crucibles  are  placed  in  which 
is  also  acetic  acid  and  spiral  lead  in  ribbons.  When  the 
shed  is  filled,  it  is  termed  a  stack,  in  which  may  be  as 
many  as  ten  thousand  crucibles.  The  tan  bark  in  combi- 
nation with  the  evaporating  vinegar  forms  carbonic  acid 
gas,  which  attacks  the  lead  and  changes  its  composition 
from  metallic  lead  to  carbonate  of  lead.  This  carbonate 
is  washed  thoroughly,  then  ground  in  lithographic  var- 
nish and  placed  on  the  market.  Generally  whites  are  of 
a  rapidly  drying  nature  and  so  act  when  added  to  other 
colors.  Owing  to  their  composition  they  have  a  tendency 
to  lighten  or  bleach  any  aniline  or  vegetable  colors  with 
which  they  come  in  combination  and  should,  therefore, 
in  all  cases  be  printed  at  least  one  shade  stronger  than  the 
effect  wanted  when  dry. 

Manufacture  of  Litho.  Varnish. — The  varnish  used 
in  lithographic  work  should  be  made  from  pure  linseed 
oil  only,  and  can  easily  be  tested  if  placed  in  a  small 
bottle  and  examined  against  the  light.  It  should  be 
perfectly  clear  and  nearly  colorless.  The  best  linseed 
oil  is  called  Baltic  and  conies  from  Russia.  The  oil  is 
obtained  by  crushing  flax  seed  and  flax  stalks.  In  man- 
ufacturing varnish,  linseed  oil  is  placed  in  large  tanks 
and  allowed  to  stand  for  some  time,  by  which  process 
the  heavier  body  falls  to  the  bottom  and  the  lighter  oil 
rises  to  the  top.  Cocks  are  placed  at  different  heights 
on  the  tanks  and  as  required  are  drawn,  the  thickest  from 
the  bottom,  medium  from  the  center,  and  thin  from  the 
top.  As  this  method  consumes  quite  some  time,  a  more 
rapid  way  is  employed  by  boiling  the  oil.  By  this  process 
a  range  of  consistencies  is  obtained  which  will  number 


of  Lithography.  101 

from  No.  oooo  to  No.  5.  The  oil  is  also  prepared  for 
the  market  as  varnish  by  burning,  and  according  to  the 
time  spent  at  the  process  the  different  strengths  of  var- 
nish are  produced.  As  this  burning  darkens  the  varnish 
to  a  brownish  tone,  it  can  not  be  recommended,  even 
if  cheaper,  for  color  work,  as  dirty  varnish  will  change 
all  light  tones,  making  a  light  blue,  grayish;  a  pink 
brownish,  green  yellowish;  and  flesh  tint  dirty.  Caution 
should  also  be  taken  to  see  that  the  varnish  has  not  been 
adulterated  with  rosin,  as  this  would  tend  to  thicken 
the  work  on  stone.  Pure  varnish  is  best,  and  certainly 
cheapest  in  the  end,  when  working  qualities  are  taken  into 
consideration. 

Dryers. — In  printing  we  have  usually  three  grades  of 
dryers,  these  being  added  to  the  inks  in  small  proportions, 
so  that  the  drying  of  the  color  may  be  effected  in  a 
moderate  time.  An  old  and  safe  dryer  is  Copal  varnish. 
Then  comes  Siccatif,  either  in  powdered  or  paste  form, 
and  a  liquid  dryer  which  has  alcohol  for  its  main  in- 
gredient. The  first  named  is  certainly  the  most  reliable 
for  lithographic  work,  being  composed  of  Copal  gum, 
alcohol  and  turpentine.  Its  action  is  always  uniform  and 
regular,  while  having  no  hurtful  effect  on  the  work  on 
stone,  if  used  in  moderate  quantities. 

Siccatif. — The  Siccatif  dryer  has  a  borate  or  man- 
ganese base  and  is  of  a  lime  nature  and  evolving  heat, 
thus  expels  moisture  and  causing  a  skin  to  form  on  the 
printed  work.  As  in  all  other  parts  of  fine  printing, 
great  caution  should  be  exercised  in  its  use.  An  error 
should  rather  be  made  in  using  too  little  rather  than  too 
much  of  such  a  substance. 


102  Practical  Text  Book 

Liquid. — A  liquid  dryer  having  alcohol  or  ether  for  its 
main  ingredients,  as  before  stated,  acts  as  an  evaporat- 
ing spirit,  and,  if  not  used  with  great  care,  will  so  split 
up  the  color,  taking  all  the  adhesive  qualities  away,  that 
when  dry  it  will  be  found  to  have  resolved  itself  into  a 
powder,  and  with  the  hand  lightly  passed  over  the  sheet 
the  color  will  be  very  easily  removed.  A  liquid  dryer 
should  be  confined  in  use  to  such  colors  as  have  been 
ground  or  prepared  with  stiff  varnish  only. 

System  in  Color  Work  and  in  Mixing  Colors. — In 
mixing  of  colors  much  will  depend  upon  natural  ability 
in  this  direction;  but  a  uniform  system  of  working  can 
readily  be  evolved  by  careful  practice.  Generally  speak- 
ing, work  in  four  colors  will  be  found  to  consist  of 
fair  strength  of  Yellow,  Brilliant  Red,  a  good  Black  and 
a  medium  strength  of  Blue.  Work  in  six  colors  will 
generally  consist  of  the  addition  of  Flesh  or  Pink  and 
Light  Blue  or  Gray,  to  the  colors  used  for  four-color 
work. 

Economy  of  a  Uniform  Color  Scale  for  Combination 
Sheet  Work. — Work  has  been  so  greatly  systematized 
that  in  one  large  establishment  in  the  East  labels  in  ten 
or  eleven  colors  and  gold  must  be  worked  to  one  uniform 
scale  of  colors,  so  that  any  label  made  under  this  system 
can  be  run  at  the  same  time  on  a  common  sheet  with  any 
other  label  made  under  the  same  system.  As  many 
as  forty  different  cigar  labels  have  been  run  successfully 
on  one  sheet  with  no  trouble  to  the  transferrer  or  press- 
man, simply  on  account  of  a  firm  insistence  in  the  first 
place  that  the  labels  made  should  conform  to  one  stand- 
ard scale  of  colors.  This  means  great  economy  in  the 


of  Lithography.  103 

output  of  the  factory,  as  a  large  share  of  the  expense  of  a 
pressroom  is  charged  up  to  washing  up  of  the  presses, 
which  can,  to  a  great  extent,  be  avoided  under  this 
system. 

Four  and  Six-Color  Work. — All  four-color  work 
which  is  run  in  poster  houses  and  houses  doing  label  work 
is  run  under  practically  the  same  system  and  in  multi- 
color work  this  system  has  been  brought  to  great  per- 
fection, so  much  so  that  the  work  on  the  six-color  press 
it  is  rarely  necessary  to  change,  even  in  the  slightest  de- 
gree, the  first  four  colors  of  the  scale. 

The  remaining  two,  which  I  have  previously  spoken 
of,  being  generally  a  Pink  and  a  Gray.  Of  these  two, 
Light  Blue  and  Buff  can  be  substituted  for  light  Gray, 
and  light  Brown,  Medium  Red,  or  Green  can  replace  the 
Pink.  With  a  definite  scale  laid  out,  the  first  color  to 
mix  would  be  a  light  Brown.  As  before  mentioned,  the 
Brown  inks  in  use  have  an  earthen  base,  are  gritty  to 
work,  and  so  in  press-work  we  find  a  prejudice  against 
their  use. 

A  good  substituting  color  for  the  making  of  a  light 
Brown  is  Lemon  Yellow  four  parts,  Madder  Lake  three 
parts,  and  Milori  Blue  one  part.  These  colors  will  be 
found  to  blend  well  together  and  work  smoothly  and 
cleanly,  even  on  the  longest  editions. 

Dark  Brown. — A  good  durable  Dark  Brown  can  be 
made  by  an  addition  of  one-fourth  to  one-half  Ver- 
million  to  a  regular  Black  ink. 

If  a  more  transparent  color  than  this  is  wanted,  Car- 
mine can  be  substituted  for  the  Vermillion,  but  as  it 
possesses  non-drying  qualities,  care  should  be  taken  in 


104  Practical  Text  Book 

starting  up  to  see  that  a  sufficient  amount  of  a  suitable 
dryer  is  added  to  the  color. 

Flesh  Tints — Several  Methods  of  Mixing. — A  durable 
flesh  tint  can  be  made  from  Vermillion,  when  thor- 
oughly reduced  to  one  part  color  in  eighty  of  laketine. 
A  point  of  Blue  or  Black  will  take  crudeness  away  from 
this  color  and  soften  it  in  tone. 

Flesh  can  be  made  from  Lemon  Yellow  and  Madder 
Lake,  the  proportions  being  about  two  to  one,  and  thirty 
to  forty  parts  of  such  reducing  compounds  as  may  be 
found  necessary. 

A  more  transparent  flesh  can  be  made  from  Yellow 
Lake  and  Madder  Lake,  with  possibly  the  addition  of  a 
little  Raw  Sienna.  This  will  make  a  very  pleasant,  soft, 
creamy  flesh,  but  on  account  of  the  colors  from  which  it 
is  made  being  of  a  weak  coloring  nature,  it  will  readily 
fade. 

The  addition  of  a  little  Chemnitz  White  will  prevent 
the  color  from  fading  too  rapidly,  but  the  more  transpar- 
ent Buffs  are  not  to  be  recommended  for  work  which 
will  be  exposed  to  strong  light  in  windows  or  elsewhere. 

The  most  useful  of  the  mixtures  before  mentioned 
is  the  Lemon  Yellow  and  Madder  Lake,  as  both  firm- 
ness and  softness,  as  well  as  permanency,  are  combined 
with  a  good  working  quality  at  the  same  time. 

Dark  and  Light  Blue. — In  a  Dark  Blue,  Bronze  or 
Milori  Blues  with  a  touch  of  French  Blue,  or  Concen- 
trated Blue,  will  give  a  color  pure  in  tone  and  brilliant 
in  strength. 

As  these  colors  are  put  up  in  undiluted  form  for  a 
medium  Dark  Blue,  they  require  a  reduction  of  four 
parts  to  one  of  color. 


of  Lithography.  105 

To  make  a  durable  Light  Blue,  a  good  grade  of 
Bronze  Blue  will  be  found  to  give  the  most  useful  results. 

Color  Clwnges  Produced  by  Overlapping  Blue. — In 
overlapping  the  Yellow  a  bright  Green  is  produced,  and 
in  overlapping  Red,  if  lakish  in  tone  (in  contradistinction 
to  a  Vermillion  tone),  it  will  produce  a  serviceable  shade 
of  violet  or  purple. 

A  little  French  Blue,  or  a  touch  of  Purple,  will  bring 
the  color  to  a  warmer  tone  and  a  point  of  Yellow  or 
Green  will  change  it  toward  the  cold  side. 

Pink. — In  Pinks,  especially  for  fleshes,  Madder  Lake 
with  a  little  Yellow  Lake  to  take  the  bluish  tone  away, 
will  be  found  to  give  soft  and  clean  results. 

Medium  Red. — For  a  medium  Red  the  addition  of 
some  Cardinal  Lake,  to  bring  it  up  to  the  desired 
strength,  will  be  found  both  economical  and  to  work  well 
in  practice. 

Grays. — For  Grays,  both  dark  and  light,  there  are 
many  combinations  which  can  be  effected.  The  most 
rapid  is  French  Blue  Lake  and  Black,  reduced,  of  course, 
to  the  required  strength ;  but  as  Black  will  always  tend  to 
dirty  a  color  (that  is  to  say,  to  take  away  the  purity  of 
tone),  it  is  not  advisable  to  use  it  on  a  fine  grade  of  work. 

In  such  cases  a  nice  Pearl  Gray  can  be  made  from 
French  Blue  Lake,  Madder,  Yellow  Lake  and  a  touch 
of  Raw  Sienna.  Raw  Sienna  will  act  as  a  softening 
medium  in  color  tone  to  the  mass,  and  can  be  left  out  if 
greater  purity  is  required. 

With  these  colors,  and  instructions  carefully  followed 
out,  creditable  work  can  be  produced  with  intelligent 
application. 


106  Practical  Text  Book 

Variations. — Variations  which  can  be  made  from 
those  accepted  standards  are  innumerable,  and  of  all 
such  it  may  be  said  that  experience  alone  can  show  the 
way.  A  diligent  study  of  the  complete  list  of  colors  used 
in  any  establishment,  and  with  a  little  painstaking  experi- 
ment on  the  part  of  the  student,  should  result  in  a  dis- 
criminating and  intelligent  use  of  the  materials  at  his 
hand. 

Difficulties  in  Matching  Colored  Papers,  Silk  and 
Other  Fabrics. — Many  difficulties  will  be  found  in  the 
matching  of  special  colors  on  paper  and  fabrics,  such  as 
cotton,  muslin,  satin,  silk,  etc.,  but  these  difficulties  will 
result  more  from  the  texture  of  the  material  itself  than 
from  the  actual  mixing  of  the  colors. 

In  all  duplication  the  copy  should  be  brought  to  as 
nearly  similar  a  condition  of  surface  as  that  of  the 
sample  submitted ;  that  is  to  say,  that  if  a  piece  of  cloth 
is  being  imitated  the  surface  of  the  paper  after  the 
work  has  been  printed,  should  be  roughened  in  imitation 
of  the  cloth. 

Very  close  reproductions  of  oil  paintings  and  water 
colors  have  been  made,  which  have  been  greatly  en- 
hanced by  the  application  of  a  proper  roughing  in  canvas 
or  crayon  effect. 


CHAPTER  X. 
PRINTING — PREPARING  INK  FOR  USE. 

PREPARING  the  Printing  Ink  for  Use.— With  a 
suitable  knife,  remove  from  the  can  a  piece  of 
ink  of  the  size  of  a  chestnut,  and  place  it  upon  the 
slab.  From  the  varnish-can  take  as  much  thin  var- 
nish as  will  lie  upon  the  end  of  the  palette-knife, 
and  transfer  it  to  the  upper  part  of  the  slab.  A 
small  quantity  of  this  varnish  must  now  be  mixed 
with  the  piece  of  ink  by  means  of  the  palette-knife. 
At  first  there  will  be  a  difficulty — the  ink  being  very 
tenacious  will  not  easily  separate,  to  allow  of  mix- 
ture with  the  varnish ;  but  by  industriously  working  it  with 
the  knife  it  will  gradually  yield  and  be  incorporated  with 
it.  When  this  has  once  taken  place,  more  varnish  may 
easily  be  added  if  required.  It  is  to  be  supposed  that 
our  students'  first  essay  at  printing  will  be  a  simple  sub- 
ject in  line-work,  a  bill-head,  circular,  or  such  like.  The 
temperature  of  the  room  in  which  the  printing  is  to  be 
carried  on  being  moderate,  the  mixture  of  ink  and  thin 
varnish  is  to  be  such  that  it  will  run  slowly  off  the 
palette-knife  when  held  in  a  position  to  allow  it  to  do  so. 
It  is  better  to  err  in  having  the  varnish  too  thick  than 
too  thin.  When  the  ink  has  been  brought  to  a  proper 
consistency,  it  is  to  be  scraped  off  the  slab  and  laid  upon 
that  portion  of  it  farthest  from  the  printer. 


108  Practical  Text  Book 

A  small  portion  of  ink  is  next  taken  up  on  the  palette- 
knife,  and  spread  along  or  placed  in  small  pats  upon  the 
roller,  which  is  now  to  be  rolled  over  the  clear  portion  of 
the  slab  until  the  ink  is  evenly  distributed  over  both. 
To  do  this  properly  requires  a  certain  "knack."  The 
roller  must  be  taken  by  the  leather  handles  which  cover 
the  wood  ones,  one  in  each  hand;  rolled  away  from  the 
operator  and  back  again  to  the  near  edge  of  the  slab; 
then  lifted  off  the  slab,  and  by  a  forward  bending  of  the 
wrist  brought  down  again  to  the  place  whence  it  was 
lifted.  This  motion,  which  should  be  made  with  the 
elbows  fairly  close  to  the  body,  will  change  the  position 
of  the  roller  in  relation  to  the  slab  so  that  each  point  on 
the  roller's  surface  will  come  in  contact  with  a  different 
portion  of  it.  By  repeating  this  operation  several  times, 
accompanied  by  a  change  of  position  laterally,  and  by 
turning  over  the  roller  so  that  the  handle  which  was  in 
the  right  hand  may  now  be  in  the  left,  a  good  distribution 
of  the  ink  will  be  effected. 

The  next  thing  to  be  done  is  to  lay  the  paper  on  the 
stone  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prevent  the  impression  be- 
ing "slurred"  or  doubled.  To  effect  this  the  paper  must 
not  shift,  or  be  shifted  between  the  time  of  first  laying 
it  on  the  stone  and  taking  the  impression. 

If  the  sheet  is  too  large  or  too  flimsy  to  be  treated  in 
this  manner  just  described,  it  must  be  laid  upon  the  stone 
by  taking  it  in  both  hands. 

The  impression  when  lifted  off  should  be  examined, 
to  see  whether  the  operation  has  been  properly  performed. 
It  will,  however,  require  either  an  experiencd  or  artistic 
eye  to  determine  this  point,  and  we  now  proceed  to  state 
what  are  the  essentials  of  a  good  impression: 


of  Lithography.  109 

First. — As  we  have  been  printing  in  black  ink,  the 
lines  of  the  drawing  or  writing  must  be  black  also;  or, 
in  other  words,  they  must  not  be  gray. 

Second. — They  must  not  be  wider  or  blacker  than  they 
were  upon  the  stone;  such  impressions  are  called 
"smutty." 

Third. — They  must  not  be  "ragged"  or  broken ;  or,  as 
printers  call  this  defect,  "rotten." 

Grayness  and  smuttiness  are  respectively  the  result 
of  too  little  and  too  much  ink;  while,  if  the  work  is 
good  upon  the  stone,  rottenness  of  impression  is  caused 
by  insufficient  pressure. 

Manipulation  of  the  Roller. — Attention  is  now  di- 
rected to  the  different  results  obtained  by  varying  modes 
of  using  the  roller,  independent  of  the  quality  of  the 
ink  upon  it.  It  is  not  to  be  understood  that  the  quality 
of  the  ink  is  unimportant,  far  from  it;  but  the  point 
we  are  now  establishing  is,  that  with  the  same  ink  and 
the  same  number  of  passes  of  the  roller  over  the  stone, 
different  qualities  of  impression  may  be  produced.  If 
the  student  will  fix  upon  his  memory  the  theories  of  the 
varnishes  and  the  methods  of  using  them  upon  the  roller, 
he  will  be  in  a  position  to  profit  by  the  experience  that 
may  be  gained  in  printing,  his  mind  being  stored  with  a 
knowledge  of  the  principles  that  must  govern  the  prac- 
tice. 

Bearing  heavily  on  the  roller  "feeds"  the  work  more 
rapidly  than  bearing  lightly  on  it. 

Light  pressure  on  the  roller  transfers  but  little  ink 
to  the  stone,  and  also  takes  off  some  part  of  that  which 
has  been  previously  applied  by  heavy  rolling. 


1LO  Practical  Text  Book 

Slow  rolling  produces  similar  effects  to  heavy  rolling. 

Quick  rolling  produces  similar  effects  to  light  rolling; 
consequently — 

Slow  and  heavy  rolling,  combined,  produce  the  maxi- 
mum feeding  effect  upon  the  work;  while — 

Quick  and  light  rolling  combined  has  the  greatest 
effect  in  clearing  an  already  over-inked  job,  and  making 
the  work  look  sharp. 

Passing  now  to  the  influence  of  the  ink  upon  the  qual- 
ity of  the  impression,  the  first  axioms  will  be  easily 
understood : 

Too  little  ink  upon  the  roller  will  produce  gray  im- 
pressions, under  ordinary  conditions  of  rolling. 

Too  much  ink  will,  on  the  contrary,  give  smutty 
proofs. 

Now  in  following  out  this  subject  of  the  ink,  we  may 
add  to  the  foregoing  axioms  the  following: 

Thin  ink  feeds  the  work  very  freely,  and  if  too  freely 
used  will  cause  it  to  thicken  and  grow  smutty. 

Strong  ink  leaves  the  roller  with  difficulty,  and  neces- 
sitates slow  and  laborious  rolling. 

Slow,  heavy  rolling  with  thin  ink  will  produce  the 
maximum  effect  that  can  be  obtained  under  similar  con- 
ditions of  temperature. 

Quick,  light  rolling  with  strong  ink  will  have  the 
greatest  possible  tendency  to  bring  the  ink  away  from 
the  stone. 

Paper. — The  choice  of  paper  is  a  very  important 
matter  in  lithographic  printing,  if  the  beauty  of  the  work 
is  of  any  consideration.  It  is  a  subject  upon  which 
much  ignorance  exists  generally,  as  every  lithographic 


of  Lithography.  Ill 

printer  must  admit.  The  clerk  or  other  person  who  re- 
ceives the  order  from  the  customer,  not  knowing  any 
better,  is  quite  willing  to  execute  it  upon  any  proposed 
paper.  He  is  probably  afraid  to  suggest  to  the  customer 
that  writing-paper  is  not  a  fit  material  upon  which  to 
execute  any  kind  of  printing.  He  takes  so  many  orders 
for  letter  and  account  headings  on  it  that  it  does  not 
occur  to  him  that  there  is  no  necessity  for  adopting 
writing  papers  when  nothing  has  to  be  written.  Most 
circular  letters  for  business  purposes  would  print  better 
and  cleaner  upon  glased  printing  paper  or  half-sized 
plate  paper  than  upon  writing  paper. 

Preparing  India  Paper  for  Printing. — There  is  an 
imitation  of  India  paper  that  is  free  from  the  spots  and 
blemishes  of  the  genuine  paper,  and  though  it  does  not 
yield  so  good  an  impression,  its  freedom  from  specks 
is  a  great  recommendation.  To  both  kinds  of  paper  the 
following  instructions  will  apply : 

Take  the  India  paper  in  full-sized  sheet,  and  brush 
over  the  back  with  rather  thin  flour  paste,  and  hang 
it  up  to  dry.  Damp  the  plate-paper  in  the  manner  de- 
scribed on  page  67.  Cut  up  the  India  paper  care- 
fully to  the  size  required,  and  put  a  piece  between  each 
two  sheets  of  plate-paper — i.  e.  one  piece  for  each.  The 
India  paper  should  be  about  half  an  inch  or  more  larger 
each  way  than  the  work  to  be  printed  upon.  The  larger 
the  work,  the  more  margin  will  be  wanted.  Make  a  mark 
upon  the  stone  to  correspond  with  the  size  of  the  plate- 
paper,  and  another  to  agree  with  that  of  the  India  paper. 
When  printing,  first  lay  down  the  India  paper  pasted 
side  up,  and  upon  it  the  plate-paper;  the  paste,  being 


112  Practical  Text  Book 

damp,  will  be  found  to  adhere  firmly  to  the  plate-paper, 
which  is  always  slightly  damped,  after  being  submitted 
to  the  pressure  of  printing.  It  will  be  seen  that  this  is  a 
combined  method  of  printing  and  mounting  at  the  same 
time.  In  like  manner  photographs  may  be  mounted, 
where  there  are  many  of  them  to  be  done. 


CHAPTER  XL 
PRINTING — DEFECTS  AND  REMEDIES. 

WE  shall  now  endeavor  to  explain,  aided  by  the 
principles  we  have  been  considering,  how  cer- 
tain defects  which  may  appear  in  the  proof  may  be  rem- 
edied, if  that  be  possible. 

When  the  proof  does  not  appear  so  firm  as  the  draw- 
ing on  the  stone,  yet  the  ink  looks  black  upon  the  paper, 
increase  the  pressure. 

When  the  print  looks  altogether  too  dark,  there  is 
either  too  much  ink  on  the  roller,  or  it  has  been  rolled  in 
by  too  heavy  pressure,  or  the  roller  worked  too  slowly. 
The  paper,  if  smooth  and  hard,  may  print  better  with 
less  impression,  or  the  ink  may  be  too  thin.  These  ob- 
servations suggest  the  remedy. 

When  the  impression  though  firm  is  pale,  there  may 
be  insufficient  ink  on  the  roller.  It  may  also  be  too 
thin.  The  roller  may  have  become  covered  with  gum,  or 
have  accumulated  a  film  of  dirt  from  long  use  without 
change  of  ink.  Try  a  good  "knocking-up"  on  the  ink- 
slab,  and,  if  that  does  not  cure  it,  scrape  off  the  old  ink 
and  apply  some  more.  This  defect  may  also  proceed  from 
rolling  too  quickly  and  lightly. 

When  white  streaks  occur  in  the  whole  length  of  the 
proof,  the  scraper  is  notched  or  otherwise  uneven.  Make 
it  level  with  coarse  cabinet-paper  or  a  plane. 

8 


114  Practical  Text  Book 

When  the  impression  is  always  too  light  at  one  end, 
there  is  a  deficiency  of  pressure  there:  pack  the  stone  at 
that  end. 

When  the  impression  has  one  or  more  light  places  that 
do  not  show  on  the  stone,  the  stone  is  hollow,  or  the 
tympan  or  backing-sheet  thin  at  such  places.  Try  a 
piece  of  blanket  for  the  backing,  and  if  that  is  not  suc- 
cessful, paste  small  pieces  of  paper  on  the  backing-sheet 
or  tympan  where  it  occurs.  To  do  this  properly,  tear 
the  paper  into  shape ;  paste  or  gum  one  side ;  lay  it  on  the 
stone  where  required,  adhesive  side  up ;  bring  the  tympan 
down  upon  it,  when  the  paper  will  be  attached  at  the  de- 
fective place. 

When  the  drawing  is  missing  or  has  failed  to  print 
at  one  end,  the  scraper  has  been  set  too  far  on  the  tympan, 
or  not  pulled  far  enough. 

When,  notwithstanding  all  precautions,  the  drawing 
yields  only  pale  impressions;  this  can  only  occur  when 
the  paper  is  too  wet.  It  usually  occurs  when  the  paper 
is  not  only  too  wet,  but  also  highly  sized. 

When  the  paper  tears,  and  is  partly  left  upon  the 
stone;  this  commonly  occurs  with  plate-paper  when  it  is 
imperfectly  damped.  Give  it  more  time  to  lie  by.  If 
that  will  not  do,  use  a  thinner  ink,  as  that  can  be  used  on 
plate-paper  with  success,  because  each  impression  clears 
the  stone. 

The  impression  being,  it  is  hoped,  what  it  should  be, 
the  printing  may  be  proceeded  with.  For  each  pull  the 
stone  must  be  first  damped,  and  then  inked ;  but  in  these 
two  operations  defects  may  occur  which  attract  the 
printer's  notice  before  he  takes  the  impression. 


of  Lithography.  115 

When  on  the  rolling  in  being  recommenced,  black 
patches  may  occur,  the  stone  has  not  been  damped  at 
these  parts.  Damp  again  properly;  roll  briskly  and  they 
will  go  away. 

When,  after  rolling  several  times,  the  ink  begins  to 
"catch"  as  before,  the  stone  has  become  too  dry.  It  may 
arise  either  from  too  long-continued  rolling  without  re- 
damping,  or  the  temperature  of  the  room  being  too  high. 
Remedy  as  in  the  last  case. 

When  the  roller  does  not  turn  in  the  handles,  but 
slips  over  the  work,  the  stone  is  too  wet. 

When,  as  the  printing  proceeds,  the  close  lines  or  dots 
join  together,  or  the  work  becomes  darker  all  over,  the 
ink  is  too  thin.  Wash  out  with  turpentine  and  a  little 
oil,  but  be  careful  to  have  the  stone  quite  wet  at  the 
same  time.  Roll  in  again  with  an  ink  made  stiffer  by 
having  less  varnish  in  it,  or  one  of  a  stronger  nature. 
Gum  in  and  let  it  lie  for  a  day  or  two  if  possible.  This 
defect  is  more  likely  to  occur  with  hard  papers. 

When  the  drawing  grows  thin  and  pale,  the  roller 
may  have  become  dirty,  or  the  ink  may  be  too  stiff,  in 
which  case  use  thinner  ink. 

Advice  to  Beginners. — In  summer,  use  medium  var- 
nish to  reduce  your  ink;  in  winter,  add  a  little  thin 
varnish  to  it. 

Avoid  wetting  the  stone  too  much  at  a  time,  or  the 
roller  will  not  only  be  liable  to  slip,  but  will  become  so 
glazed  as  not  to  ink  properly  until  it  has  been  "knocked 
up"  on  the  slab  again. 

After  proper  damping,  count  the  number  of  times 
that  the  roller  can  be  passed  over  the  stone  before  it 


116  Practical  Text  Book 

begins  to  soil  it,  then  in  your  printing  do  not  make  so 
many  passes  by,  say,  two. 

When  the  roller  begins  to  make  an  audible  sound  in 
going  over  the  work,  it  is  a  sign  that  it  is  time  to  leave 
off  rolling. 

Having  inked  your  work,  "knock  up"  the  roller  ready 
for  the  next  inking  before  taking  the  impression. 

Be  careful  to  keep  the  edges  of  the  stone  clean, 
avoiding  rolling  over  them  if  possible.  If  they  are  once 
allowed  to  soil  the  backing-sheet,  it  will  be  difficult  to 
prevent  the  edges  from  becoming  again  dirty. 

Work  with  as  little  ink  on  your  roller  as  is  con- 
sistent with  obtaining  a  good  impression. 

The  beginner  will  find  it  useful  to  touch  the  stone 
occasionally  with  the  gum-sponge,  to  assist  in  preserving 
the  coating  of  gum  upon  it. 

Keep  separate  sponges  for  gum,  weak  acid,  and  wet- 
ting the  stone.  Let  them  vary  sufficiently  in  size,  so  as  to 
be  readily  distinguishable  from  each  other,  which  will 
lessen  the  liability  to  accident,  in  mistaking,  for  instance, 
the  "acid  sponge"  for  the  "gum-sponge."  Keep  also 
another  good-sized  sponge  for  use  with  perfectly  clean 
water  only.  This  will  be  useful  when  washing  a  stone 
previously  to  making  corrections. 

Slurring  signifies  a  doubling  of  the  lines  or  the  dots 
composing  the  impression  at  some  part  of  it.  It  is  usually 
found  at  or  about  that  part  of  the  proof  which  last  re- 
ceived the  pressure,  and  may  proceed  from  one  of  several 
causes,  though  its  immediate  cause  is  always  the  same — 
namely,  the  shifting  of  the  paper  between  the  time  of 
its  being  placed  upon  the  stone  and  its  passage  under 
the  scraper. 


of  Lithography.  117 

Setting-off  is  a  transferring  of  some  of  the  ink  be- 
fore it  is  dry  to  the  back  of  the  paper  of  the  impression 
lying  next  to  it.  It  ought  to  be  avoided  in  careful  work. 
It  is  chiefly  owing  to  one  of  two  causes:  first,  the  hard- 
ness of  the  paper,  and  second,  to  the  use  of  ink  un- 
suited  to  the  paper.  Hard,  smooth  writing-papers  are 
very  liable  to  it.  When  the  copies  are  placed  one  above 
another  until  a  heap  is  formed,  the  under  ones  receive 
most  pressure  and  are  more  liable  to  the  defect.  Black 
printing-ink  dries  very  slowly,  but  the  printer  does  not 
like  to  use  dryers  in  it,  because  it  necessitates  the  use  of 
some  solvent  for  removing  it  effectually  from  his  roller, 
the  frequent  use  of  which  deteriorates  that  instrument 
very  materially.  The  turpentine  used,  and  the  amount  of 
time  involved  in  washing  the  roller,  are,  of  course,  items 
that  cost  the  employer  something,  so  that  it  is  usual  to 
put  such  works  into  small  heaps,  to  lessen  the  weight  upon 
the  bottom  impressions  and  to  give  them  more  time  to 
dry. 

It  frequently  happens,  however,  that  circulars  and 
other  work  are  wanted  for  immediate  use.  The  customer 
may  be  accommodated  at  a  trifling  extra  expense,  by  the 
application  of  powdered  French  chalk.  It  is  to  be  ap- 
plied with  a  small  pad  of  cotton  wool,  first  dipped  into 
the  powder  and  then  rubbed  over  the  impressions,  after 
which  they  may  be  handled  and  folded  with  impunity. 

Printing  Chalk  Drawings. — If  the  student  has  mas- 
tered the  theory  of  the  inks  and  varnishes,  and  applied 
them  in  the  practice  of  printing  from  ink  drawings,  he 
will  now  be  able  to  take  in  hand  printing  from  a  chalk 
drawing.  There  are  some  differences  between  the  ink 


118  Practical  Text  Book 

and  chalk  printing,  which  it  will  be  well  to  point  out 
before  proceeding  with  the  instructions  for  printing.  In 
the  first  place,  the  stone  being  granulated,  the  dots  whose 
aggregation  make  up  the  drawing,  do  not  lie  in  one  plane. 
This  necessitates  the  use  of  a  roller  having  sufficient 
"nap"  to  reach  the  bottom  of  the  grain.  The  grained  sur- 
face also  disposes  the  stone  to  remain  longer  damp  than 
does  a  polished  one.  The  rough  stone  so  rapidly  wears 
away  a  damping-cloth  that  two  sponges  must  be  used,  one 
to  apply  the  water,  and  the  other  to  spread  it. 

Where  an  assistant  is  employed  at  the  press,  a  roller 
similar  to  the  inking  roller,  but  covered  with  a  suitable 
material,  may  be  used  for  damping  the  stone,  as  is  done 
in  machine  printing.  A  boy  with  a  little  practice  would 
thus  damp  more  evenly  than  by  the  use  of  a  sponge. 
The  drawing  would  suffer  less  abrasion,  and  would  prob- 
ably yield  a  greater  number  of  impressions. 

Re-etching. — It  must  be  understood  by  the  young 
printer  that  when  the  chalk  has  been  once  removed,  the 
printing-ink  alone  has  less  power  to  resist  the  action  of 
acids  than  the  chalk  had,  and  requires  some  protection, 
previous  to  the  renewed  acidulation  of  the  stone.  Inks 
containing  copal-varnish,  asphaltum,  and  similar  sub- 
stances, might  be  used  for  this  purpose ;  but  an  effectual 
and  simple  method,  which  does  not  involve  the  use  of 
another  roller,  consists  in  dusting  powdered  rosin  over 
the  work  after  rolling-in,  and  permitting  the  stone  to  dry. 

Defects  sometimes  arise  from  Unequal  Etching,  and 
show  themselves  in  printing  as  darker  spots  and  patches 
than  the  surrounding  parts,  which  were  even  enough 
when  the  drawing  left  the  hands  of  the  artist.  These 


of  Lithography.  119 

can  only  be  remedied  by  etching  the  parts  that  are  darker, 
and  so  bring  them  to  a  level  tone  with  the  rest,  by  the 
application  of  a  camel-hair  pencil  containing  dilute  acid, 
and  immediately  wiping  away  the  acid  with  a  sponge 
to  prevent  its  acting  further  than  intended. 

Defects  Arising  from  Ovet-etching. — When  the  draw- 
ing has  had  too  much  acid  applied  in  the  etching  process, 
the  light  tints  are  perhaps  so  reduced  that  the  drawing 
has  a  worn-out  appearance,  as  if  a  very  large  number 
of  impressions  had  been  taken  from  it. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CHROMO-LITHOGRAPHY — THE   KEY-STONE — ORDER  OF 
THE  COLORS. 

IN  treating  of  Chromo-Lithography,  we  propose  first  to 
point  out  those  conditions  and  processes  which  are 
common  to  all  the  various  methods  of  producing  colored 
effects ;  then  we  shall  give  a  description  of  simple  color- 
work,  suitable  for  plans,  labels,  show-cards,  &c. ;  next,  of 
tinted  lithography,  which  is  used  in  subjects  of  more 
artistic  character;  and,  finally,  that  combination  of  the 
former  methods  which  is  usually  denominated  Chromo- 
Lithography  or  Oleography,  when  applied  to  the  re- 
production of  artistic  subjects.  In  this  manner  we  shall 
have  occasion  to  introduce  some  things  in  the  first  part 
which  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  repeat  in  the  other  two, 
of  which  the  methods  of  making  set-off  and  registering 
the  sheets  may  be  cited  as  examples. 

It  may  be  stated  generally  that  all  lithographs  in  two 
or  more  colors  are  printed  from  two  or  more  stones. 
That  being  so,  it  will  be  seen  that  some  method  must  be 
employed,  first,  to  get  a  correct  trace  of  the  subject  on 
the  first  stone  made  upon  the  second;  and,  second,  of 
being  able,  in  printing,  to  lay  the  sheet  so  correctly  in 
position  that  the  second  printing  may  fall  exactly  into  its 
place  upon  the  first.  To  attain  the  first  of  these  condi- 
tions we  must  have  what  is  called  a  key-stone. 


of  Lithography.  121 

Key-stone. — In  the  ordinary  run  of  show-card  and 
label-work  this  stone  is  used  for  finishing,  but  in  work  of 
more  artistic  character  it  is  usual  to  employ  this  stone  as  a 
means  of  getting  all  other  colors  in  their  place,  and  gen- 
erally to  omit  it  in  printing.  It  is  necessary,  in  making 
this  key-stone,  that  there  should  be  lines  to  indicate  either 
the  junction  or  separation  of  each  color  from  every  other, 
wherever  any  kind  of  distinction  has  to  be  observed.  In 
show-cards  it  is  usual  to  edge  nearly  all  the  color  with  an 
outline,  and  this  is  then  all  that  is  necessary  for  the  pur- 
pose of  a  key-stone;  but  circumstances  may  occur  in 
which  it  is  necessary  to  bring  two  printings  into  juxta- 
position without  the  intervention  of  a  separating  line 
of  black  or  other  color. 

To  avoid  confusion  and  possible  failure  it  is  best  to 
make  a  tracing  in  indistinct  outline  of  the  subject — 
portrait,  landscape  or  other  design — upon  the  key-stone. 
We  give  here  the  several  most  approved  methods. 

We  may,  however,  take  this  opportunity  of  inform- 
ing the  student  that  he  must  on  no  account  attempt  to 
make  a  key-stone  in  a  hurry,  such  a  course  being  certain 
to  end  in  confusion.  He  should  take  every  possible  care 
to  make  the  key-stone  thoroughly  trustworthy,  study- 
ing each  bit  as  he  proceeds,  so  as  to  find  out  the  best 
mode  of  producing  the  imitative  effect  required. 

First. — Very  transparent  tracing-paper  may  be  made 
by  coating  fine  tissue-paper  with  crystal  varnish.  Coat 
it  on  one  side,  and  let  it  dry,  and  then  coat  it  on  the 
other.  The  varnish  may  be  made  by  adding  spirits  of 
turpentine  to  Canada  balsam  until  thin  enough  to  be  used 
with  a  varnish-brush,  the  solution  being  effected  with  a 
gentle  heat. 


122  Practical  Text  Book 

Second. — French  tracing-paper,  papier  vegetal,  may 
be  oiled,  to  render  it  more  transparent ;  but  care  must  be 
taken  to  avoid  bringing  the  oiled  surface  in  contact  with 
the  stone  or  transfer-paper. 

Third. — Ordinary  tracing  or  other  thin  paper  may  be 
wetted  with  spirits  of  turpentine  or  benzoline,  and  the 
wetted  side  applied  to  the  glass  or  paper  photograph. 
The  tracing  may  then  be  made  in  pencil.  The  liquid  will 
soon  evaporate ;  but,  if  the  paper  becomes  opaque  in  con- 
sequence, a  corner  may  be  lifted  and  another  drop  of  the 
fluid  introduced,  which  will  instantly  restore  the  trans- 
parency. When  the  tracing  is  completed,  it  and  the 
photograph  will  dry  rapidly  and  the  latter  will  remain 
uninjured. 

Fourth. — Sheets  of  transparent  gelatine  may  be  laid 
over  photographs  or  paintings,  and  the  tracing  made  by 
scratching  the  outline  with  a  sharp  steel  point.  The 
scratches  thus  made  are  to  be  filled  with  powdered  red 
chalk,  dusted  on  with  cotton  wool:  the  scratches  being 
rough,  retain  the  powder,  which  is  rejected  by  the  smooth 
surface  of  the  gelatine.  If  the  gelatine,  thus  prepared, 
be  laid  upon  a  stone  and  passed  through  the  press,  a  red 
chalk  tracing  will  be  left  upon  the  stone.  The  scratches 
may  also  be  filled  in  with  lithographic  writing-ink,  dis- 
solved in  spirits  of  turpentine,  wiping  it  clean  off  the 
smooth  part  of  the  .gelatine.  This  being  laid  upon  the 
stone  as  before,  and  subjected  to  pressure,  will  leave  an 
ink  outline  that  may  be  rolled  up  as  an  ordinary  transfer. 
Or  the  gelatine  may  be  treated,  after  filling-in  with  ink, 
as  an  ordinary  transfer,  by  damping  it  between  sheets, 
applying  it  to  a  warm  stone,  passing  through  the  press, 


of  Lithography.  123 

and  finally  washing  it  off  with  hot  water.  It  requires  a 
very  slight  etching  before  rolling-up. 

Fifth. — If  the  photograph  to  be  traced  is  of  no  further 
value  than  furnishing  a  copy  for  the  draughtsman,  it  may 
be  treated  in  the  following  manner: — With  india-rubber, 
paper-cleaner,  or  ink-eraser,  remove  from  the  surface  of 
the  photograph  all  tendency  to  greasiness;  outline  every 
detail  with  lithographic  writing-ink,  which,  after  the 
cleaning  referred  to,  will  adhere  readily  to  the  photo- 
graph, treating  it  as  far  as  possible  as  a  sheet  of  trans- 
fer-paper. Set  a  stone  in  the  press,  and  make  ready  as 
for  ordinary  transferring;  pour  spirits  of  turpentine  upon 
the  stone,  and  spread  the  spirits  all  over.  Let  it  stand 
a  few  seconds  to  be  absorbed.  With  one  stroke  of  the 
squeegee  remove  the  superfluous  turpentine.  Now 
quickly  lay  the  inked-in  photograph  upon  the  stone, 
lower  the  tympan,  and  pass  once  through  the  press,  under 
heavy  pressure.  The  stone  having  been  uniformly 
damped  with  the  turpentine,  the  latter  acts  equally  in 
softening  the  ink,  which  is  then  absorbed  by  the  stone. 
If  there  should  be  too  much  turpentine,  the  ink  will 
spread ;  and  if  too  little  (which  may  happen  if  the  stone  is 
allowed  to  dry  somewhat  before  the  photograph  is  laid 
upon  it),  sufficient  ink  may  not  be  absorbed  to  roll  up. 
However,  with  ordinary  care  on  the  part  of  the  draughts- 
man and  the  printer,  success  is  certain.  The  stone  having 
been  gummed  and  rolled  up,  impressions  may  be  taken. 
If  a  key-stone  be  wanted  for  color-work,  nothing  but 
the  register-marks  will  require  to  be  added. 

As,  however,  some  might  prefer  a  red  chalk  outline, 
we  may  state  that  it  can  easily  be  obtained  as  follows : 


124  Practical  Text  Book 

Instead  of  taking  a  weak  impression  on  printing-paper, 
take  a  full  one  on  highly-sized  and  glazed  writing-paper ; 
place  upon  it  a  quantity  of  finely-powdered  red  chalk; 
holding  the  paper  by  opposite  edges,  raise  and  lower 
each  hand  alternately,  until  the  chalk  has  been  brought 
into  contact  with  every  part  of  the  outline;  pour  off 
the  superfluous  chalk,  and  finish  by  giving  it  a  smart 
jerk  or  two  to  remove  the  remainder  from  all  parts  except 
the  lines.  The  prepared  print  may  then  be  laid  upon  the 
stone  and  passed  through  the  press,  as  before  described. 
This  method  is  very  applicable  for  drawings  in  ink. 

This  method  of  transferring  to  stone  for  the  pur- 
pose of  obtaining  a  mere  faint  tracing  for  a  guide  in  the 
actual  drawing,  may  appear  more  complicated  than  the 
ordinary  tracing  and  retracing;  but  where  the  details  are 
minute  and  numerous,  it  will  be  found  that  time  is  saved 
by  its  adoption ;  while  the  artist,  being  saved  the  drudgery 
of  the  intermediate  operation,  will  approach  his  task  with 
better  spirit,  knowing  that  a  more  correct  trace  is  before 
him  than  would  have  been  obtained  by  any  other  method. 

The  Set-off,  or  Faint. — By  this  is  meant  the  trace 
produced  when  an  impression  from  the  key-stone  is  laid 
down  upon  another  stone  and  pulled  through  the  press. 
Now,  the  one  essential  condition  of  this  is  that  the  trace, 
set-off,  or  faint  impression,  shall  be  exactly  of  the  same 
dimensions  as  the  original  from  which  it  is  made;  for 
if  it  be  not,  it  is  quite  evident  that  impressions  from  the 
two  stones  will  not  fit  each  other  when  printed  upon 
the  same  piece  of  paper.  To  ensure  this,  attention  must 
be  given  to  the  following: 

First. — The  impression  from  the  key-stone  must  be 
pulled  upon  dry,  well-rolled  paper. 


of  Lithography.  125 

Second. — The  key-stone  should  be  allowed  to  become 
dry  before  the  impression  is  taken,  so  that  the  chances 
of  the  sheet  absorbing  moisture,  and  thereby  expand- 
ing, may  be  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

Third. — The  impression  when  taken  should  be  laid 
down  upon  the  stone  as  soon  as  possible,  so  as  to  prevent 
the  sheet  either  expanding  or  contracting  by  any  change 
in  the  state  of  the  atmosphere. 

Order  of  the  Colors. — The  order  in  which  the  colors 
should  succeed  each  other  in  the  course  of  printing  is  a 
matter  of  much  importance,  not  only  as  regards  the  effect 
of  the  finished  print,  but  as  regards  economy  of  time.  In 
a  case  in  which  bronze  powder,  metal,  or  any  dust  color, 
is  used,  this  ought  to  precede  the  other  printings.  When 
the  bronze  must  be  introduced  after  other  printings,  it  will 
be  found  almost  imperative  to  prepare  the  sheets  with 
some  semi-transparent  powder,  such  as  talc,  rubbed  on 
and  well  dusted  off,  to  prevent  the  adhesion  of  the  bronze, 
which  would  otherwise  attach  itself  to  any  part  that  might 
not  be  thoroughly  hardened. 

There  is  another  order  of  succession,  which  is  based 
upon  the  fact  that  while  some  colors  are  opaque  others 
are  transparent.  As  a  rule,  the  transparent  color  should 
succeed  the  opaque  one,  because  the  former  allows  the 
latter  to  be  seen  through  it,  and  is  modified  by  it,  for 
which  reason  the  transparent  colors  are  usually  reserved 
for  the  finishing  ones. 

Further,  it  may  be  stated  that  another  order  may  de- 
pend upon  the  hue  of  the  color  desired ;  thus,  for  instance, 
a  Prussian  blue  over  a  chrome  yellow  might  make  a  dark, 
cool  green,  but  the  reverse  order  would  give  a  warmer  and 


126  Practical  Text  Book 

lighter  green.  For  the  same  reason  a  crimson-lake  over 
a  blue  yields  a  richer  purple  than  the  opposite  order 
would  give. 

For  positive  colors  it  may  be  stated,  as  a  general  rule, 
that  they  should  succeed  each  other  as  follows:  First, 
bronzes  or  dusted  colors ;  second,  blues ;  third,  reds ; 
fourth,  yellows ;  and  fifth,  the  outline  or  finishing  colors. 

In  the  matter  of  transparency,  the  student  may  observe 
that  those  colors  which  are  dark  in  the  mass  are  usually 
transparent  and  fit  for  finishing  with,  while  those  which 
appear  much  the  same  in  the  lump  as  upon  the  paper  are 
opaque.  But  there  are  some  exceptions,  notably  raw 
sienna  and  emerald  green.  In  this  connection  it  may  be 
stated  that  though  the  opaque  should  generally  precede  the 
transparent  colors,  there  are  instances  in  which  the  re- 
verse order  is  to  be  preferred. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
REGISTERING. — APPLICATION  OF  PRINCIPLES. 

REGISTERING.— By  this  term  is  understood  the  ad- 
justment of  an  already  printed  sheet  to  the  stone, 
in  such  a  manner  that   the  further  work  about  to  be 
printed   on   it   shall   coincide   with   the   spaces   intended 
for  it. 

There  are  several  methods  more  or  less  adapted  to 
obtaining  this  important  object,  but  it  must  be  observed 
that  in  each  case  the  key-stone  must  have  applied  to  it 
appropriate  marks  adapted  to  facilitate  the  subsequent 
operations,  and  that  this  preparation  varies  somewhat  in 
each  method.  To  facilitate  reference,  we  will  number 
these  methods,  commencing  with  the  simplest : 

First :  By  Lay. — This,  in  many  hands,  is  a  very  effec- 
tual means  of  obtaining  register,  and  is  the  simplest  pos- 
sible ;  but  the  size  of  the  paper  to  be  used  should  be  de- 
termined before  the  set-off  is  made.  It  is  true  that  this 
is  not  absolutely  essential  to  the  method,  but  it  greatly 
facilitates  it  in  every  way.  The  size  of  the  paper  having 
been  fixed  upon,  a  "lay,"  corresponding  to  the  edge  of 
the  paper,  is  made  on  the  stone,  by  which  the  subject  is 
brought  into  proper  position  upon  the  sheet,  and  this  lay 
is  then  drawn  with  fine  lines  in  lithographic  ink  in  such 
manner  as  to  print  upon  the  sets-off  and  to  remain  all 
through  the  printing.  A  set-off  is  now  to  be  made  for 


128  Practical  Text  Book 

each  color,  and  this  "lay"  mark  is  to  be  made  permanent. 
If  the  color  to  be  printed  be  a  dark  one,  the  mark  may 
be  carefully  inked  over  at  the  same  time  that  the  rest  of 
the  work  is  done;  but  if  the  printing  is  to  be  a  light  color 
some  method  must  be  devised  of  making  this  mark  not 
only  indelible,  but  dark,  so  as  to  be  readily  seen  by  the 
printer ;  and  this  may  easily  be  accomplished  as  follows : 
Cover  the  place  with  gum,  through  which,  when  dry,  make 
scratches  to  coincide  exactly  with  the  marks  they  are  in- 
tended to  replace.  With  a  pen  and  common  writing-ink, 
go  over  these  scratches,  and  when  dry,  if  the  gum  be 
washed  away,  well-defined  marks  will  be  left  that  will 
last  all  through  the  printing. 

In  using  this  system  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  ac- 
curately adjust  one  corner  and  edge  of  the  paper  to 
these  marks  all  through  the  printing;  but  care  must  be 
taken  that  the  paper  possesses  well-defined  corners  and 
edges.  If  the  paper  should  be  found  to  expand  a  little, 
a  good  workman  will,  by  laying  the  sheet  a  little  over  the 
mark  in  the  direction  required,  be  able  to  make  the  neces- 
sary allowance  to  preserve  the  register.  In  many  kinds 
of  work  this  system  will  be  found  all  that  is  required,  and 
indeed  in  many  houses  scarcely  any  other  is  used. 

Second:  By  Needles. — In  this  mode  sufficient  marks 
are  usually  to  be  found  among  the  work  to  answer  the 
purpose  of  registering;  but  occasions  may  arise  in  which 
a  small  dot  or  cross  may  be  made  near  the  centre  of  the 
shorter  edges  of  the  paper  on  opposite  sides  of  it. 

To  take  an  example :  let  it  be  supposed  that  the  border 
line  of  a  subject  be  chosen  for  registering  by.  Make, 
with  a  sharp-pointed  scraper  or  other  convenient  tool,  fine 


of  Lithography.  129 

holes  in  any  two  opposite  corners  of  the  set-off  upon  the 
stone.  Some  registering  needles  must  now  be  provided, 
and  may  be  made  thus :  Two  pieces  of  wood  or  cane  about 
\y2  inches  long,  of  the  thickness  of  a  black  lead  pencil, 
are  to  have  inserted  in  each  of  them  a  moderate  sized 
sewing-needle,  with  about  an  inch  of  it  projecting.  If 
the  point  be  inserted  in  the  wood  and  the  eye  end  broken 
off  and  repointed,  the  tool  will  be  better.  Another  similar 
piece  should  be  provided  with  a  needle  of  the  same  size 
having  its  point  preserved. 

Thus  equipped,  the  printer  may  proceed.  The  sheet 
printed  first  must  be  pricked  through  exactly  at  the  cor- 
ners which  are  intended  to  be  used,  and  which  correspond 
to  the  holes  in  the  stone.  Through  these  holes  in  the 
sheet  the  needles  are  to  be  inserted  from  the  back.  The 
printer  now  takes  the  sheet,  contriving  to  hold  the  needles 
and  the  paper  at  the  same  time,  and  inserting  each  point 
into  its  proper  hole,  allows  the  sheet  to  drop  from  his 
fingers  on  to  the  stone.  He  then  holds  the  sheet  in  posi- 
tion with  his  little  fingers,  while  he  withdraws  the  needles 
and  afterward  carefully  withdraws  his  fingers,  thus  leav- 
ing the  sheet,  if  the  operation  has  been  carefully  per- 
formed, in  its  proper  position  upon  the  stone.  When  it 
is  required  to  make  allowance  for  expansion  of  paper,  the 
needles  may  be  inclined  in  the  direction  necessary  to  cor- 
rect the  error. 

Third:  By  Fixed  Points. — The  previous  method  may 
be  varied  by  setting  the  two  needles  in  a  lath  of  wood,  so 
as  to  correspond  with  the  holes  in  the  paper  and  the  stone. 
With  a  lad  to  assist,  this  way  will  be  found  a  quicker 
one  than  that  of  using  the  needles  separately,  but  will 

9 


130  Practical  Text  Book 

possess  the  disadvantage  of  not  permitting  them  to  be  in- 
clined in  opposite  directions,  as  is  sometimes  necessary. 

We  have  an  opinion  that  a  perfect  method  of  regis- 
ter should  admit  of  the  following  conditions:  (a)  That  it 
should  depend  for  its  exactitude  upon  the  sense  of  touch ; 

(b)  that  the  guides  should  be  attached  to  the  stone  itself ; 

(c)  that  the  guides  should  be  capable  of  being  moved  so 
as  to  accommodate  any  expansion  of  the  paper  subsequent 
to  the  first  printing;  (d)  that  there  should  be  no  necessity 
for  pricking  holes  in  the  sheets  by  hand,  as  that  intro- 
duces an  element  of  error. 

We  are  happy  in  being  able  to  describe  two  methods 
by  which  this  can  be  accomplished. 

Fourth :  By  Points  in  Stone. — Get  the  following  ma- 
terials and  tools:  Some  lengths  of  lead  such  as  is  used 
for  balancing  ivory  and  bone-handled  table  knives* ;  a 
drill  that  will  make  a  hole  of  the  same  diameter  as  the 
lead :  a  brace  for  rotating  the  drill ;  some  steel  music  wire, 
about  22  of  the  Birmingham  wire  gauge ;  a  small  chisel  or 
a  broken  palette  knife  ground  off  square  and  sharp;  a 
small  wood  mallet ;  and  a  fine  flat  parallel  file,  about  one 
inch  wide,  with  safe  edges,  but  no  handle. 

Thus  equipped,  the  lithographer  may  proceed.  We 
will  for  the  present  suppose  that  the  stone  and  sheet  to 


*  If  there  is  any  difficulty  in  obtaining  these  pieces  of  lead, 
they  may  be  made  in  the  following  manner : — Procure  a  piece  of 
straight  brass  tube,  J4  in-  m  diameter,  and  about  3  in.  long.  With 
a  fine  saw  cut  it  entirely  through,  lengthwise,  and  carefully 
remove  the  burr  from  the  inside  where  it  has  been  cut.  Holding 
this  piece  of  tube  in  a  pincers  or  hand  vise  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  close  the  slit,  rest  it  on  something  to  close  the  bottom  end. 
and  pour  into  it  some  molten  lead.  When  set,  the  tube  may  be 
loosed,  and  will  by  opening  a  little  at  the  slit,  permit  of  the  lead 
cylinder  being  pushed  out. 


of  Lithography.  131 

be  printed  are  about  equal  in  size.  The  case  of  a  stone 
larger  than  the  sheet  will  be  treated  of  subsequently. 

At  the  centre  of  each  end  of  the  key-stone,  about  half 
an  inch  from  the  edge,  drill  a  hole  about  half  an  inch 
deep ;  cut  off  a  piece  of  lead  five-eighths  of  an  inch  long, 
and  with  the  mallet  slightly  taper  one  end.  This  must 
now  be  driven  into  the  hole,  and  the  projecting  part  cut 
level  with  the  stone  by  means  of  the  chisel.  A  piece  of 
the  wire  is  to  be  slightly  pointed  with  the  file,  and  then  a 
notch  made  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  from  the  point 
at  which  it  may  be  broken  off.  Drive  this  into  the  lead 
until  only  one-sixteenth  is  left  projecting.  Over  this  place 
a  bit  of  stout  writing  paper,  and  with  the  safe  edge  of  the 
file  resting  upon  the  paper,  bring  the  bit  of  wire  to  a 
fair  point. 

In  the  same  manner  treat  each  end  of  each  color- 
stone,  as  far  as  the  insertion  of  the  lead  goes,  but  put  in 
a  point  at  one  end  only. 

In  taking  the  impressions  of  the  key-stone  for  the 
set-off,  simply  lay  the  sheet  to  a  mark;  but  before  it  is 
lifted  from  the  stone,  press  the  finger  on  the  points  so  as 
to  make  them  puncture  the  paper.  Each  set-off  will  thus 
be  pricked  exactly  in  the  same  manner.  In  laying  these 
upon  the  stone,  one  hole  is  to  be  placed  over  the  point, 
and  the  other  hole  over  the  lead  without  a  point; 
near  which  end  a  little  strong  gum  should  be  placed,  so 
as  to  temporarily  hold  the  sheet.  The  set-off  sheet  hav- 
ing been  submitted  to  sufficient  pressure  (taking  care  that 
the  scraper  only  acts  upon  that  part  of  the  stone  between 
the  points),  a  hole  must  be  accurately  pricked  into  the  lead 
through  the  hole  in  the  paper.  This  having  been  properly 


132  Practical  Text  Book 

performed,  the  stone  is  ready  for  the  artist,  as  the  inser- 
tion of  the  second  point  may  be  omitted  until  the  stone 
is  placed  in  the  printer's  hands  for  proof,  when  it  may 
be  inserted  as  previously  described. 

In  the  actual  process  of  printing  the  first  impressions 
are  laid  to  a  mark,  and  the  sheets  punctured  as  described 
for  taking  the  set-off  impressions.  The  subsequent  ones 
are  obtained  by  laying  the  holes  over  their  proper  points, 
the  printer  being  able,  with  very  little  experience,  to  feel 
the  points  through  the  holes  with  his  forefinger.  Any  ex- 
pansion of  the  sheet  can  be  provided  for  by  driving  a 
small  dull  punch  into  the  lead  alongside  the  point,  which 
is  thereby  shifted  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  will  so 
remain  until  again  moved  by  similar  means. 

If  it  be  necessary  to  use  stones  larger  than  the  sheet 
of  paper,  it  is  clear  that  it  will  not  do  to  drill  a  second 
hole  far  up  the  stone,  as  that  would  probably  spoil  it  for 
future  use.  In  that  case  the  mark,  instead  of  being  made 
upon  the  lead,  must  be  made  upon  the  stone,  and  a  cross 
scratched  through  it  with  lines  about  one  inch  or  more 
long.  For  a  point,  get  a  piece  of  thin  brass,  about  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch  square,  and  let  the  tinman  tin  it  at 
the  back,  and  drill  a  hole  to  match  the  wire  near  one  cor- 
ner, and  solder  it  (the  wire)  in,  letting  it  stand  one-six- 
teenth high,  as  before.  By  means  of  a  blowpipe  and  a 
piece  of  shellac  this  may  be  firmly  attached  to  the  stone, 
the  point  being  set  at  the  junction  of  the  cross  scratches. 
This  point  may  be  slightly  moved  at  any  time  by  warming 
it  by  means  of  the  blowpipe.  When  done  with,  it  may  be 
removed  altogether  by  setting  a  square-edged  punch  or 
dull  chisel  against  it,  and  giving  it  a  sharp  tap  with  the 
mallet. 


of  Lithography.  133 

Some  of  the  few  drawbacks  to  this  method  of  register- 
ing may  be  got  rid  of  by  drilling  the  holes  in  the  side 
edge  of  the  stone  and  using  only  lead  foundations  for  the 
points.  If  they  are  put,  say,  14.^2  inches  apart,  they  will 
serve  for  crown,  post,  royal,  and  demy  folios,  and  larger 
stones  may  be  similarly  treated  for  larger  sizes. 

Where  the  cardboard  or  paper  is  too  small,  pieces  of 
paper  to  carry  the  point-holes  may  be  gummed  to  the 
edge.  These  pieces  of  paper  can  be  torn  off  when  the 
printing  is  completed. 

Fifth. — We  have  used  with  considerable  success  the 
following  method,  which  enables  the  printer  to  see  as 
easily  what  he  is  doing  as  in  the  simple  way  described 
first.  Where  there  is  sufficient  margin,  it  is  not  only  the 
easiest,  but  much  the  quickest  system. 

Two  pieces  of  brass,  about  three-fourths  .-of  an  inch 
long,  and  shaped  like  the  letters  I  and  L  respectively,  are 
to  be  tinned  at  the  back  and  fastened  to  the  stone  with 
shellac,  corresponding  to  the  edge  and  corner  of  the  paper 
in  the  following  position : 


the  L-shaped  one  being  towards  the  tympan.  The  scraper 
must  be  set  in  its  box  in  such  a  manner  as  to  avoid  these 
brass  register  marks  when  the  impression  is  being  taken. 
A  pair  of  these  having  been  fitted  to  the  keystone,  the 
set-off  sheet  is  to  be  carefully  set  in  the  corner  of  one 
and  against  the  other,  and  the  impression  taken.  Simi- 
lar marks  must  be  put  to  each  stone,  and  the  set-off  sheet 
being  laid  against  them  exactly  as  at  first,  an  exact  regis- 
ter must  be  the  result  when  the  paper  is  applied  to  them 
in  a  like  manner  in  the  printing. 


134  Practical  Text  Book 

The  Influence  of  the  Paper  Upon  the  Register  is  fre- 
quently very  great,  and  we  will  point  out  some  of  the  con- 
ditions necessary  to  success  in  registering. 

First :  Paper  for  color-printing  must  be  well  rolled,  so 
as  to  stretch  it  as  much  as  possible.  This  is  very  import- 
ant, because  printing  paper  as  received  from  the  mill, 
under  ordinary  pressure  used  in  litho  printing,  will  stretch 
sufficiently  at  the  first  pull  to  make  '"slurring"  almost  in- 
evitable. 

Second :  The  temperature  and  hygrometric  state  of  the 
printing  room  must  be  maintained  as  equal  as  possible,  as 
it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  find  the  sheets  printing  in 
register  one  day  and  out  the  next,  in  consequence  of  a 
wet  day  succeeding  a  dry  day,  or  vice  versa.  This  effect 
is  sometimes  set  down  by  the  printer  to  the  action  of  the 
press  in  stretching  the  paper;  but  where  that  has  been 
well  rolled,  such  is  not  the  case.  Paper  that  has  been 
subjected  to  the  rolling  machine  sufficiently  to  glaze  it 
will  not  stretch  under  the  lighter  pressure  of  the  litho- 
graphic press. 

It  will  sometimes  be  convenient  to  print  views  and 
other  similar  work  in  one  or  more  tints,  on  damp  paper, 
in  which  case  care  must  be  taken,  by  keeping  them  in  a 
heap,  to  prevent  their  becoming  dry  at  the  edges,  which 
causes  them  to  cockle,  and  slur  in  the  printing. 

In  these  cases  it  is  therefore  necessary  to  commence 
the  printing  upon  dry  paper,  and  to  allow  free  access  of 
air  to  the  sheets  between  the  printings,  which  can  most 
easily  be  accomplished  by  setting  the  impressions  in  a  pile, 
and  keeping  each  separate  from  the  other  by  means  of 
laths  of  wood,  printer's  reglet,  or  strips  of  cardboard. 


of  Lithography.  135 

This  provision  for  the  drying  of  the  ink  has  the  disad- 
vantage, however,  of  exposing  the  paper  to  all  the  alter- 
nating influences  of  heat  and  cold,  and  dry  and  damp. 

Of  the  Surface  to  be  Given  to  the  Stone. — In  ordinary 
color-work  it  is  customary  to  employ  polished  stones 
whenever  the  pen  or  brush  is  used  for  producing  the  re- 
quired effects.  When  it  is  necessary  or  desirable  to  use 
chalk,  or  employ  tints,  grained  stones  must  be  used. 
Grained  stones  are  employed  in  tints,  even  though  there 
may  be  no  gradation  of  color  required,  because  it  is 
found  by  experience  that  they  carry  the  ink  more  evenly, 
and  produce  more  level  printing  than  do  polished  ones. 
The  nature  of  the  grain  to  be  employed  will  depend  upon 
that  of  the  work;  but  as  a  general  rule  a  somewhat  coarser 
grain  is  given  to  stones  for  color  than  to  those  for  black 
work. 

Setting-off  of  Colors  upon  the  Stone  may  be  prevented 
by  dusting  the  previously  printed  sheets  with  powdered 
talc,  magnesia,  powdered  chalk,  or  other  similar  sub- 
stances, but  the  process  should  be  avoided  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, as  it  somewhat  injures  the  brilliancy  of  the  colors. 

Application  of  Principles  to  Practice  in  the  Produc- 
tion of  a  Simple  Color  Job. — For  an  illustration  of  this 
subject  we  will  suppose  that  a  show-card  is  to  be  printed 
in  the  following  colors :  gold  or  bronze,  a  warm  tint,  em- 
erald green,  vermilion  and  black. 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  make  a  colored  sketch, 
in  which  the  arrangement  of  colors  must  be  definitely 
settled,  because  it  will  not  be  advisable  to  deviate  from  it 
during  the  making-up  of  the  stones.  When  this  has  been 
done,  the  artist  must  draw  a  keystone,  in  accordance  with 


136  Practical  Text  Book 

the  principles  laid  down  in  a  preceding  paragraph,  not 
forgetting  to  make  such  provision  for  registering  as  may 
be  necessary,  according  to  the  particular  method  to  be 
adopted,  which  in  this  instance  we  will  suppose  to  be  that 
of  the  fixed  points  upon  the  stone.  With  this  in  view, 
the  drawing  must  be  placed  upon  the  stone  in  such  a  posi- 
tion as  to  accommodate  it  in  regard  to  the  place  of  the 
fixed  point. 

After  the  printer  has  rolled  up  the  work,  he  must  affix 
a  second  point  to  the  stone,  and  then  prepare  four  other 
stones  to  receive  the  other  colors.  Four  impressions  hav- 
ing been  taken  on  well-rolled  paper,  three  of  them  are  to 
be  dusted  and  laid  upon  polished  stones,  while  the  black 
one,  not  dusted,  is  put  upon  a  grained  stone.  These  set- 
offs,  having  been  pulled  through  the  press,  are  to  be 
marked  for  register,  in  accordance  with  one  of  the  meth- 
ods previously  given. 

The  grained  stone  is  intended  to  receive  the  tint,  which 
may  be  prepared  in  the  following  manner:  The  margin 
and  all  other  parts  which  are  to  remain  white  should  be 
stopped  out  with  gum.  This  will  be  found  to  be  an  easier 
method  than  painting  in,  with  lithographic  ink,  all  those 
parts  which  are  to  remain  as  tint.  If  there  should  be 
time  to  permit  of  the  drying  of  this  tint  thoroughly  before 
the  next  stage,  it  will  be  as  well  to  allow  the  tint  to  be 
underneath  the  bronze,  more  especially  if  the  paper  or 
card  has  an  absorbent  surface.  If  the  tint  be  a  light  one 
it  may  underlie  any  other  color  which  may  be  intended 
to  be  dusted  on.  The  reason  for  having  the  tint  thus 
to  underlie  the  dusted  color  is  that  the  paper  shall  be 
less  likely  to  absorb  the  ink,  and  weaken  its  power  of 


of  Lithography.  137 

holding  the  dusted  color.  Another  advantage  it  would 
have  would  be  that  of  not  showing  any  little  inequalities 
of  registering.  When  the  gum-ink  is  dry,  the  stone  may 
be  covered  with  drawing-ink  and  turpentine,  or  in  fact 
almost  any  kind  of  greasy  matter  free  from  water.  Some 
time  should  then  be  allowed  for  it  to  penetrate  the  stone, 
after  which  the  gum  may  be  washed  off  and  the  work 
rolled  up.  The  other  stones  may  be  drawn  upon  with 
lithographic  ink,  care  being  taken  to  keep  each  color  to  its 
proper  stone ;  but  where  two  colors  can  be  kept  sufficiently 
apart  to  be  applied  by  the  dusting-on  process,  they  may 
be  drawn  on  one  stone.  Thus,  in  the  instance  before  us, 
as  we  have  to  use  an  emerald  green,  the  varnish  for  it 
may  be  colored  to  pale  blue,  and  that  will  take  also  a  blue 
dusted  color,  so  that,  if  not  too  near  each  other,  both  may 
be  employed  on  the  one  printing  with  a  little  care.  In 
filling  in  the  stones  the  artist  should  observe  that  by  cov- 
ering his  outline  with  each  color  he  will  improve  his 
chances  of  good  register,  and  where  there  is  a  broad  black 
line  he  may  carry  his  color  considerably  beyond  its  edge, 
because  the  black  printing  will  effectually  hide  the  under 
color. 

When  those  colors  which  are  dusted  are  applied  to  the 
show-card,  the  vermilion,  and  then  the  black,  may  be 
printed  next  in  order.  In  making  up  the  red  stone,  it  will 
be  as  well  to  so  arrange  it  that  the  color  may  underlie  the 
black,  which  will  thus  have  a  greater  richness.  Care 
should  at  the  same  time  be  taken  that  the  red  is  kept 
well  within  the  outline  of  the  black,  so  that  it  may  not 
show  when  a  little  out  of  register. 


138  Practical  Text  Book 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  as  the  colors  are  to  be 
printed  over  each  other  they  should  have  dryers  in  them 
to  facilitate  the  work.  Under  the  ordinary  circumstances 
of  one  printing  the  absorption  of  the  ink  by  the  paper 
will  hasten  the  drying,  but  where  one  color  is  superim- 
posed upon  another  this  does  not  take  place,  and  it  be- 
comes necessary  to  add  dryers  to  the  ink. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
TINTS. 

AT  the  end  of  the  last  chapter  we  described  the  man- 
ner in  which  to  a  simple  job  in  colors  might  be 
applied  the  methods  previously  detailed  for  making  key- 
stone, set-offs  and  registering.  In  the  practice  of  chromo- 
lithography  it  is,  however,  very  necessary  to  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  methods  of  making  tints  which  imitate 
more  or  less  effectually  light  washes  of  color,  as  seen  in 
water-color  drawings,  etc.  These  methods  we  proceed 
now  to  point  out. 

Different  Methods  of  Making  Tints. — The  method  of 
producing  a  tint  given  in  the  preceding  chapter,  though 
the  simplest  one,  is  only  adapted  for  producing  one  uni- 
form color,  and  therefore  is  very  limited  in  its  applica- 
tion. If  the  student  will  examine  some  of  the  subjects 
frequently  to  be  met  with,  which  are  printed  in  black  and 
one  or  two  tints,  he  will  notice  that  each  color  or  tint 
consists  of  more  than  one  gradation.  If  he  will  study 
also  those  imitations  of  chalk  drawings  on  tinted  paper 
which  are  generally  imported  from  Paris,  he  will  find 
that  the  lights  appear  as  if  they  had  been  laid  on  with 
white  chalk. 

The  modes  in  common  use  of  producing  tints  depend 
upon  the  principle  of  laying  some  fatty  matter  on  the 
stone  in  such  a  manner  that,  if  left  in  that  state,  it  would 


140  Practical  Text  Book 

roll  up  of  full  strength  all  over,  unless  part  of  it  had  been 
removed  by  etching  with  dilute  acid  or  scraping,  or  both 
combined. 

Tints  in  which  White  Chalk  is  Imitated. — For  this 
method  a  somewhat  coarse,  but  very  sharp-grained  stone 
must  be  employed,  and  the  set-off  of  the  drawing  must 
be  made  upon  it  in  such  a  manner  that  the  subject  can 
be  distinctly  seen  during  the  several  subsequent  stages. 
As  this  imitation  of  white  chalk  is  to  be  produced  by 
scraping,  it  is  desirable  that  the  artist  should  have  his 
ground  color  sufficiently  dark  to  enable  him  to  estimate 
properly  the  effect  he  is  producing.  A  dark  ground 
would,  however,  obliterate  an  ordinary  set-off,  but  if  it 
be  laid  down  with  turpentine  it  will  show  through  the 
ground.  If  the  ground  for  the  tint  is,  on  the  other  hand, 
so  dark  as  to  obscure  even  this  kind  of  set-off,  a  dusted 
one  may  be  laid  on  the  top  of  the  ground  after  the 
latter  has  been  put  on. 

The  practical  treatment  will  be  as  follows:  On  the 
grained  stone  make  the  set-off.  With  gum  and  acid  stop 
out  the  margin  and  high  spots.  Then  lay  the  ground.  If 
the  set-off  do  not  now  show  sufficiently,  an  impression 
dusted  over  with  red  chalk  or  vermilion  may  be  registered 
upon  it,  and  passed  through  the  press  with  light  pressure, 
provided  the  ground  is  hard  enough  to  permit  of  it. 

The  ground  forming  the  tint  must  possess  the  follow- 
ing properties:  It  must  be  hard  enough  to  allow  of  the 
scraper  removing  it  in  parts  without  smearing.  It  must 
resist  the  action  of  the  acid  sufficiently  to  roll  up  solidly, 
after  an  etching  which  is  strong  enough  to  keep  the 
scraped  parts  clear.  Thus  it  must  not  be  too  greasy,  but 


of  Lithography.  141 

must  be  soluble  in  solvents  that  dissolve  fatty  matters. 
There  are  several  substances  which  can  be  used  for  this 
purpose,  but  perhaps  the  most  convenient  are  asphaltum 
or  Brunswick  black,  and  copal  varnish,  the  latter  of 
which  will  require  some  coloring  matter  added  to  it  to 
enable  the  artist  to  see  what  he  is  doing. 

The  ground,  having  been  laid  evenly,  must  be  left  un- 
til dry  enough  to  permit  of  the  use  of  the  scraper,  by 
which  the  lights  may  be  put  in  so  as  to  imitate  the  stroke 
of  the  white  crayon  as  closely  as  the  circumstances  will 
allow.  Thanks  to  the  grain  underlying  the  varnish,  this 
may  be  accomplished  more  easily  than  would  at  first  sight 
appear  possible.  The  scraper  must  be  quite  sharp,  and 
should  be  held  lightly  in  the  hand,  so  as  to  obtain  the 
necessary  freedom  in  manipulating  it. 

The  scraping  having  been  done,  the  stone  will  require 
to  be  etched,  in  order  to  preserve  the  lights.  The 
strength  of  acid  necessary  for  this  purpose  will  depend 
a  good  deal  upon  the  thickness  of  the  varnish.  Though 
the  exact  strength  cannot  be  stated,  little  difficulty  will  be 
experienced  if  the  following  expedient  be  resorted  to: 
Select  a  portion  of  the  tint  for  experiment  that  is  to 
remain  solid  or  of  full  color,  and  commencing  with  very 
dilute  acid,  try  it  upon  that  portion  of  the  stone  until, 
by  the  addition  of  more  acid,  the  ground  is  attacked. 
Then  by  diluting  the  acid  it  will  be  brought  gradually  to 
such  a  condition  that  it  will  not  attack  the  ground,  but 
will  be  efficient  in  keeping  the  scraped  parts  open.  The 
solid  part  that  has  been  used  for  the  acid  test  may  be 
restored  by  rubbing  upon  it  a  little  soap,  which  will 
effectually  restore  it  to  a  full  tint  when  rolled  up.  Any 


142  Practical  Text  Book 

of  the  methods  described  for  etching  chalk  drawings  may 
be  used  in  this  process,  after  which  the  stone  may  at 
once  be  rolled  up  by  the  lithographic  roller  in  black  ink, 
until  the  lights  become  clean  and  the  dark  parts  quite 
solid.  It  may,  previous  to  the  rolling-up  in  black,  be 
washed  with  a  mixture  of  turpentine  and  oil. 

After  rolling  up  in  black,  if  the  tint  is  found  to  be 
satisfactory,  it  may  be  dusted  with  very  finely  ground 
rosin,  and  acidulated  until  a  perceptible  depth  is  reached. 
In  this  way  relief  will  be  imparted  to  those  portions  repre- 
senting white  chalk  when  the  tint  is  printed  in  its  proper 
color  on  soft  paper. 

Tints  of  Several  Gradations. — Any  of  the  methods 
employed  in  making  drawings  on  stone  may  be  used  for 
the  purpose  of  producing  tints  of  various  gradations, 
and  are,  in  fact,  so  used  where  exactness  and  definition 
are  essential  in  the  practice  of  chromo-lithography.  The 
method  about  to  be  described  is,  however,  best  adapted 
when  two  or  three  tints  are  required  to  be  added  to  a 
drawing  in  black,  or  in  the  broader  tinted  effects  in  land- 
scapes, etc.,  in  colors. 

The  stone  must  have  a  sharp  grain,  as  in  the  last- 
described  method,  but  as  this  is  a  more  complicated  one, 
special  attention  is  requisite  to  the  subject  of  set-offs.  If 
an  ink  which  will  permit  of  a  black  set-off  being  seen 
through  it  be  used  for  rubbing  in  the  ground,  as  described 
further  on,  such  set-off  may  be  made  with  a  good  drying 
ink  and  allowed  a  day  or  two  to  dry.  If,  however,  the 
ground  be  too  dark,  or  time  cannot  be  allowed  for  the 
set-off  to  dry  properly,  the  parts  of  the  stone  required  to 
be  defined  in  the  various  gradations  are  usually  scratched 


of  Lithography.  143 

with  a  sharp  point  through  the  lines  of  the  set-off.  Some- 
times a  very  fine  gum  outline  will  be  found  preferable, 
or  common  black  writing  ink,  if  not  too  gummy,  may  be 
used  for  a  dark  outline.  The  white  parts  should  then  be 
determined  upon  and  stopped  out  with  gum  and  acid,  and 
the  stone,  when  dry,  will  be  ready  to  receive  the  ground, 
which,  however,  must  not  be  laid  in  with  the  roller,  as  in 
the  last  method,  but  as  follows: 

Set  the  stone  before  a  fire,  and  get  it  hot  equally  all 
over.  Now  rub  over  its  surface  a  piece  of  rubbing-in 
ink,  and  continue  rubbing  until  the  grain  of  the  stone  is 
filled  in. 

This  rubbing-in  ink  may  be  obtained  of  the  dealers, 
but  as  its  composition  is  not  of  any  great  importance, 
most  printers  who  are  conversant  with  the  process  de- 
scribed above  have  their  own  favorite  recipe.  Beeswax 
alone  is  a  very  good  substance  for  this  purpose,  but  is 
better  when  made  dark  by  the  addition  of  some  black 
pigment.  Tallow  may  be  added  to  the  beeswax  to  make 
it  softer  and  more  easy  to  rub  in  on  a  moderately  hot 
stone.  Wax,  tallow  and  cuttings  of  lithographic  chalks 
also  make  a  very  good  ink,  the  latter  ingredient  rendering 
it  sufficiently  black  to  enable  the  artist  to  see  the  effect  of 
his  scraping.  These  different  compositions  will  be  found 
to  vary  in  their  power  of  resisting  acids,  and  we  would 
consequently  recommend  the  student  to  keep  to  one  kind 
as  soon  as  he  finds  it  to  answer  the  purpose,  as  he  will 
thus  be  able  to  know  what  degree  of  etching  he  has  to 
give  to  obtain  any  wished-for  effect. 

Experience  will  soon  determine  the  degree  of  heat 
necessary  for  this  operation,  and  it  will  vary  according  to 


144  Practical  Text  Book 

the  nature  of  the  rubbing-in  ink.  The  superfluous  ink  is 
next  to  be  removed  by  rubbing  the  face  of  the  stone  with 
a  large  piece  of  an  old  coat  or  other  woolen  fabric,  chang- 
ing the  dirty  part  of  the  cloth  for  a  clean  one  as  may  be 
necessary,  and  continuing  until  a  perfectly  even  surface 
is  obtained. 

The  stone,  having  become  cool,  may  be  washed  with 
water  to  free  it  from  the  gum,  so  that  the  effect  of  the 
scraping  may  be  more  distinctly  seen.  This  washing 
should  now  be  done. 

The  inks  we  have  described  will  permit  of  washing, 
but  it  is  quite  possible  that  one  bought  from  the  dealer  in 
these  materials  may  have  so  much  soap  in  its  composition 
as  to  render  washing  a  dangerous  operation ;  if  so,  it  must 
be  deferred  until  the  tint  has  been  once  etched,  but  the 
scraping  must  be  done  previously. 

The  next  thing  to  be  determined  is  how  many  grada- 
tions of  tint  are  required.  For  many  purposes  what  is 
called  full-and-half  tint  will  be  sufficient  in  conjunction 
with  the  scraping;  it  will  do  very  well  for  ordinary  fine- 
weather  clouds,  and  is  thus  performed :  After  the  scrap- 
ing is  done  the  parts  intended  to  be  full  tint  must  be  filled 
in  with  thick  litho.  ink,  Brunswick  black  or  copal  varnish. 
It  must  be  observed,  however,  that  gradation  between 
full  and  half  tint  may  be  attempted  by  the  use  of  crayon 
laid  on  in  the  usual  way,  or  Lemercier's  stumping  crayon, 
applied  with  the  stump ;  but  it  must  not  be  relied  upon  for 
producing  the  same  effect  after  etching  as  is  seen  upon 
the  stone.  The  margin  and  any  broad  white  parts  should 
also  be  covered  with  varnish,  but  not  with  litho.  ink, 
which  might  penetrate  the  gum.  The  reason  for  so  cover- 


of  Lithography.  145 

ing  the  margin  is  this :  In  the  process  of  etching  it  will 
be  found  that  the  acid  will  recede  from  the  edges  of  the 
tint,  when  there  is  a  space  of  clear  stone  alongside  it; 
consequently,  such  part  of  the  tint  is  less  acted  upon,  and 
prints  darker  than  is  required.  If,  however,  such  margin 
or  other  broad  spaces  be  stopped  out  with  a  resisting  var- 
nish, the  etching  fluid  will  act  more  equably  where  it  is 
required. 

Tint-printing  requires  considerable  experience  and 
judgment.  We  may  point  out,  as  a  general  rule,  that  thin 
inks  produce  soft  and  wash-like  tints,  while  stiff  inks 
make  the  tints  look  more  granular,  and  keep  them  in 
better  condition  while  being  printed.  The  lighter  the  tint 
is,  the  less  easily  can  any  defects  be  seen  while  they  are 
being  inked ;  but  as  light  tints  show  the  grain  of  the  stone 
less  distinctly  than  darker  ones,  it  follows  that  stronger 
ink  may  be  employed  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the 
work  clear.  The  color  which  needs  most  attention  in  this 
respect  is  yellow,  which,  on  account  of  its  lightness,  is 
very  apt  to  catch  unobserved  upon  what  should  be  the 
clean  parts  of  the  stone. 

Washing  Out  Tints  After  Their  First  Preparation. — 
Care  must  be  taken  when  washing  out  these  tints  if  they 
have  been  stopped  out  with  varnish  made  with  turpen- 
tine. This  solvent  sometimes  dissolves  the  ink  used  in 
laying  the  ground,  and  when  the  whole  comes  to  be 
washed  out  with  turpentine  alone  there  is  a  likelihood  of 
those  parts  of  the  tint  not  rolling  up  properly.  This  dif- 
ficulty may  easily  be  overcome  by  adding  a  little  grease 
or  oil  of  any  kind  to  the  turpentine  used  for  washing 
out.  After  it  has  been  once  successfully  inked  in,  tur- 


146  Practical  Text  Book 

pentine  alone  will  usually  be  sufficient  for  washing  out 
when  removing  the  black  ink  to  prepare  for  color.  It 
must  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  the  mass  of  ink  is 
so  much  greasy  matter,  and  that  when  the  dirty  rag  is 
changed  for  a  cleaner  one  the  quantity  of  grease  is  re- 
duced with  the  next  dose  of  turpentine. 

The  etching  of  these  tints  may  be  facilitated  by  the 
following  operation :  After  the  ground  has  been  rubbed 
in,  the  gum  used  in  stopping  out  must  be  thoroughly 
washed  away  and  the  stone  dried.  Set  the  stone  in  the 
press;  lay  upon  it  a  sheet  of  paper  of  the  thinnest  and 
evenest  substance  procurable;  upon  this  place  a  thin, 
smooth  sheet  of  metal,  such  as  is  used  for  paper-glazing, 
and  pass  the  whole  through  the  press  with  a  light,  even 
pressure.  The  result  will  be  that  some  of  the  ink  will  be 
removed  from  the  upper  points  of  the  grain,  leaving  them 
in  a  better  condition  for  the  action  of  the  acid. 

Another  method  of  producing  a  tint  of  several  grada- 
tions with  one  etching:  Any  kind  of  set-off  is  first  put 
down,  so  that  the  margin  may  be  neatly  and  accurately 
gummed  out.  An  impression  is  then  taken  upon  tracing 
paper,  or  an  impression  upon  ordinary  paper  is  laid  upon 
gray  or  somewhat  dark  paper  and  passed  through  the 
press  so  as  to  get  a  reversed  key.  If  the  corners  of  the 
margin  be  cut  away  exactly  to  the  corners  of  the  work, 
the  impression  may  be  accurately  registered  to  the  corre- 
sponding corners  upon  the  stone  and  fastened  to  the 
margin,  after  the  tint  has  been  rubbed  in  with  a  soft  ink. 
The  tracing-paper  impression,  being  turned  over,  will 
give  the  same  results  as  the  reversed  impression  upon  the 
gray  paper,  and  be  equivalent  to  a  set-off.  If  the  desired 


of  Lithography.  147 

effect  be  now  worked  up  with  hard  white  crayon  upon 
the  paper,  a  proportionate  amount  of  ink  will  be  removed 
from  the  stone  by  the  back  of  the  paper. 

One  of  the  modes  invented  by  Senefelder  for  pro- 
ducing India  ink  effects  may  also  be  employed  for  tint- 
making.  A  grained  stone  is  first  prepared  with  soap- 
water,  which,  when  dry,  is  removed  from  the  surface 
by  washing  with  turpentine.  The  drawing  is  then  made 
with  washes  of  hard  ink,  containing  a  considerable  pro- 
portion of  soap.  When  completed  and  dry,  the  drawing 
must  be  rubbed  over  with  a  piece  of  flannel  or  other 
woolen  cloth,  so  as  to  better  expose  the  points  of  the 
grain  to  the  action  of  the  acid.  Even  the  deepest  shades 
previously  laid  will  now  be  assailable;  therefore,  those 
parts  which  are  to  remain  quite  black  must  be  laid  in 
after  the  rubbing  in  has  been  finished.  We  think  that  the 
principal  difficulty  of  this  process  consists  in  making  the 
drawing.  In  practice  it  is  found  that  the  working  of  the 
lithographic  ink  on  stone  is  so  different  to  that  of  India 
ink  on  paper  that  other  modes  are  resorted  to  in  pref- 
erence, even  though  they  may  be  more  laborious.  When 
these  drawings  are  completed  they  are  best  etched  by  sur- 
rounding the  work  with  banking  wax  and  pouring  very 
dilute  acid  on  the  work,  letting  it  remain  on  until  bubbles 
of  gas  arise  and  attach  themselves  to  the  points  of  the 
grain.  When  the  work  is  thus  covered  with  gas-bubbles 
the  acid  is  poured  off,  and  these  bubbles  are  thereby 
broken  up.  Another  application  of  dilute  acid  is  made, 
and  the  same  action  permitted  to  go  on  again.  This  is 
repeated  until  sufficient  etching  has  been  given,  according 
to  the  subject. 


148  Practical  Text  Book 

Stumped-ln  Tints, — The  set-off  having  been  made  on 
a  sharp,  finely  grained  stone,  the  high  lights  are  to  be 
stopped  out  with  gum.  Take  a  piece  of  soft  wash-leather, 
strain  it  over  the  finger,  and  charge  it  with  some  of 
Lemercier's  lithographic  stumping  crayon.  Now  go  all 
over  the  stone  for  the  light  tint,  with  a  light  circular 
motion  of  the  wash-leather,  recharging  it  with  the  stump- 
ing crayon  as  often  as  necessary.  The  nature  of  the 
work  will  determine  the  precise  method  to  be  employed. 
Rolled  wash-leather  stumps  may  be  used  to  lay  in  forms 
of  clouds,  etc.  The  scraper  may  be  used  to  give  pre- 
cision in  lights,  and  the  crayon  or  ink  for  the  deepest 
parts.  If  it  be  desired  to  imitate  repeated  flat  washes  of 
color,  it  may  be  done  in  the  following  manner: 

The  light  tint  having  been  laid  as  before  described, 
the  parts  that  are  to  remain  of  that  tint  are  to  be  stopped 
out  with  thin  gum  to  which  a  little  ox-gall  has  been  added. 
When  this  is  dry  the  stumping  crayon  is  again  used  to 
give  the  next  gradation,  which  is  in  turn  stopped  out  to 
preserve  it. 

Tints  Formed  by  Transferring  Lines,  Etc. — The  same 
system  used  in  transferring  lines  in  connection  with  ink- 
work  may  be  pursued  in  getting  light  tints  in  color-work 
with  good  effect,  and  for  a  simple  light  tint  in  conjunction 
with  full  color  the  mode  there  described  will  be  all  that 
is  necessary.  These  lines  from  plate,  however,  may  be 
used  very  effectively,  and  four  distinct  gradations  ob- 
tained with  one  printing,  by  following  the  instructions 
about  to  be  given: 

The  plate  to  be  used  should,  of  itself,  form  what  may 
be  denominated  a  quarter-tint.  The  parts  which  are  to 


of  Lithography.  149 

be  of  full  strength  are  drawn  in  with  litho.  ink,  and  those 
which  are  to  be  white  are  to  be  gummed  out.  The  lines 
from  the  copper  or  steel  plate  are  then  to  be  transferred, 
in  a  horizontal  direction.  When  this  first  transfer  is  com- 
plete the  stone  must  be  washed  as  clean  as  water  will  make 
it.  It  must  then  be  prepared,  either  by  an  acid,  such  as 
acetic  acid,  or  a  salt,  such  as  the  mixture  of  alum  and  sal 
ammoniac. 

Tints  from  Stippled  Plates. — In  stipple  or  similar 
color-work  upon  polished  stones,  where  it  is  small,  a  sky 
or  other  effect  may  be  chalked  upon  this  paper  and  trans- 
ferred in.  Where  the  surface  is  large,  the  plate  itself 
may  be  inked  in,  as  for  copper-plate  transfers,  and  trans- 
ferred to  produce  a  tint.  This  method  may  be  also  fur- 
ther utilized  by  chalking  upon  the  transfer  and  adding 
ink  to  produce  darker  effects,  the  lights  being  scraped  out 
previous  to  transferring.  This,  however,  is  scarcely  ap- 
plicable where  there  is  more  than  one  color  in  the  sky, 
as  it  then  becomes  necessary  to  work  to  the  set-off  on  the 
stone  so  as  to  secure  register.  In  the  pursuit  of  the  art 
it  is  almost  imperatively  necessary  to  be  practically  ac- 
quainted with  all  these  methods,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
employ  the  one  best  suited  to  the  work  in  hand. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

CHROMOLITHOGRAPH Y — PRINTING — TREATMENT  OF 
COLORS — DRYERS. 

THE  two  last  chapters  treated  principally  of  the  dif- 
ferent modes  of  putting  the  chromo-lithographic 
subject  upon  the  stones  and  the  means  of  securing  their 
proper  register.  We  come  now  to  the  printing  of  these 
stones,  and  shall  first  of  all  refer  to  the  qualities  of  the 
colors  without  entering  into  the  question  of  their  har- 
monies, a  subject  which  has  been  fully  treated  by  more 
competent  authors. 

The  pigments  employed  in  lithography  embrace  nearly 
the  whole  of  those  produced  by  the  color-makers,  but 
they  are  not  all  equally  suitable  for  lithographic  printing. 
The  two  necessary  qualities  are  permanency  and  ease  of 
working,  but  these  are  possessed  in  quite  different  degrees 
by  the  different  pigments.*  Fortunately,  nearly  all  the 
most  trustworthy  pigments  can  be  successfully  used  in 
printing,  but  some  of  the  most  brilliant  ones  are  not  only 
unpleasant  in  use  but  fugitive  in  color.  This  question  of 
permanency  of  color  is  either  much  misunderstood  or  not 
sufficiently  attended  to  by  many  among  the  color  printers 

*  The  following  inexpensive  works  may  be  consulted  with 
advantage: — "Hints  on  Color  and  Printing  in  Colors,"  by  P.  B. 
Watt.  London :  Wyman  &  Sons.  "Color,"  by  Professor  Church. 
Cassell,  Petter,  &  Galpin.  "The  Principles  of  Coloring  in  Paint- 
ing," by  Charles  Martel.  Windsor  &  Newton. 


of  Lithography.  151 

of  the  present  day.  The  demand  for  cheap  inks  is  prob- 
ably one  great  reason  why  so  many  of  our  productions 
fade  so  rapidly,  and  it  is  not  in  lithography  alone,  but  in 
typographic  block-printing  as  well,  that  this  defect  fre- 
quently exhibits  itself. 

There  are  three  enemies  to  permanency  of  color  that 
are  found  to  act  inimically  on  color  prints.  They  are 
light,  impure  air,  and  the  chemical  action  of  one  color 
upon  another.  We  shall  mention  the  pigments  which  are 
more  or  less  affected  by  the  first  two  causes,  but  detailed 
treatment  of  the  third  will  be  beyond  the  space  we  can 
afford,  demanding  as  it  does  almost  a  treatise  to  itself. 
The  following  are  the  pigments  which  are  most  suitable 
for  making  lithographic  inks,  but  the  list  does  not  com- 
prise all  that  may  be  employed : 

Reds — Vermilion,  Indian  red,  red  ochre,  Venetian  red, 
madder  lakes,  crimson  and  scarlet  lakes,  red  lead,  chrome 
lead. 

Yellows — Yellow  ochre,  raw  sienna,  cadmium  yellow, 
yellow  lake,  chrome  yellow,  mineral  yellow. 

Browns — Raw  and  burnt  umber,  Vandyke  brown. 

Oranges — Burnt  sienna,  York  brown,  mineral  orange, 
orpiment,  orange  lead,  chrome  orange,  laque  minerale. 

Blues — Ultramarine  (dusting),  cobalt,  oriental,  Chi- 
nese and  Prussian  blues. 

Greens — Scheele's  greens,  green  lake. 

Purples — Mauve  ink,  mixtures  of  blues  with  reds. 

The  following  selection  of  pigments  may  be  regarded 
as  permanent  under  all  the  ordinary  circumstances  to 
which  a  chromo-lithograph  is  likely  to  be  subjected: 

Reds — Vermilion,  Indian  red,  red  ochre,  Venetian  red, 
madder  lakes. 


152  Practical  Text  Book 

Whites — Zinc  white,  baryta  white. 

Browns — Raw  and  burnt  umber. 

Oranges — Burnt  sienna,  York  brown,  mineral  orange. 

Blues — Ultramarine,  cobalt. 

Yellows — Yellow  ochre,  raw  sienna,  cadmium  yellow. 

The  following  colors  may  be  used,  in  addition  to  the 
above,  when  they  are  more  or  less  protected  from  light, 
and  are  therefore  useful  in  book  illustrations: 

Reds — Crimson  lake,  scarlet  lake. 

Yellow — Yellow  lake. 

Orange — Orpiment. 

Purples — Mauve  ink,  purple  lake. 

Blues — Oriental  blue,  Chinese  blue,  Prussian  blue. 

The  following  colors  withstand  light  and  pure  air,  but 
are  liable  to  injury  by  damp,  shade  and  impure  air: 

Reds — Red  lead,  chrome  lead. 

Oranges — Orange  red,  chrome  orange,  laque  minerale. 

Yellows — Chrome  yellows,  mineral  yellow. 

Blues — Cobalt  blues. 

Greens — Mineral  green  or  green  lake,  Scheele's  green. 

Whites — Flake-white  and  other  lead-whites. 

The  following  pigments  should  not  be  used  with  flake- 
white  or  other  lead  colors:  Indian  yellow,  yellow  lake, 
Italian  pink,  orpiment,  red  lead,  crimson  and  other  similar 
lakes,  carmine  and  indigo. 

Colors  which  should  not  be  used  with  others  contain- 
ing iron:  Silver  white,  King's  yellow,  patent  yellow,  Chi- 
nese yellow,  carmine,  scarlet  lake,  blue  verditer. 

From  the  following  pigments  may  be  selected  the 
colors  for  finishing  printings,  on  account  of  their  trans- 
parency :  Raw  sienna,  Indian  yellow,  Italian  pink,  yellow 


of  Lithography.  153 

lake,  madder  lakes,  crimson  and  scarlet  lakes,  cobalt, 
Chinese  and  Prussian  blues,  Mars  orange,  madder  purple 
and  purple  lake,  Vandyke  brown  and  burnt  umber.  Black 
ink,  or  other  opaque  dark  color,  is  used  for  finishing,  on 
account  of  its  cutting-up  quality. 

Treatment  of  Colors. — The  proper  management  of 
colors  is  only  to  be  acquired  by  study,  experience  and 
observation.  We  have  previously  explained  the  manner 
of  grinding  colors,  but  in  this  place  there  are  some  special 
details  of  the  subject  which  ought  to  be  mentioned. 

Colors  differ  in  the  manner  of  their  grinding.  Some, 
such  as  carmine,  emerald  green  and  ultramarine,  can 
scarcely  be  used  at  all  for  litho.  printing  inks,  and  re- 
quire to  be  dusted  upon  lighter  inks  of  suitable  color. 
Some  others,  like  the  cochineal  lakes,  print  better  when 
first  ground  in  water  or  turpentine,  though  their  bril- 
liancy is  thereby  somewhat  reduced. 

Some  pigments  may  be  ground  more  easily  than 
others,  some  being  soft  and  unctuous,  while  others  are 
hard  and  gritty.  Much,  however,  depends  upon  the  pre- 
vious preparation  of  the  pigment  by  the  manufacturer. 
Thus,  there  are  natural  colors,  like  York  brown,  which 
are  ground  easily,  while  others  like  Vandyke  brown,  are 
difficult  to  reduce  to  the  necessary  fineness.  These  and 
other  colors  may  be  bought  after  having  been  ground  by 
steam  power,  by  which  much  time  is  saved.  Several  of 
the  large  country  color  printers  who  employ  many  ma- 
chines on  chromo  work  have  small  ink-mills,  by  which 
they  grind  their  own  inks.  In  this  there  is  the  advantage 
of  knowing  precisely  of  what  pigments  the  inks  are  made. 

Dryers. — We  have  spoken  in  the  last  paragraph  of 
certain  colors  which  dry  too  readily.  Some  colors,  on 


154  Practical  Text  Book 

the  other  hand,  have  the  opposite  quality,  and  dry  with 
difficulty. 

What  is  known  as  "patent  dryers"  is  a  preparation 
of  litharge,  ready  ground  in  oil,  and  it  may  be  added  to 
those  colors  for  which  "it  is  suitable.  "Patent  dry  dryers'' 
is  a  white  powder,  which  requires  very  little  grinding  to 
incorporate  it  with  the  ink.  Acetate  of  lead,  or,  as  it  is 
commonly  called,  sugar  of  lead,  is  one  of  the  most  useful 
dryers,  and  does  not  injure  the  brilliancy  of  the  most 
delicate  colors.  Sulphate  of  sine,  or  white  vitriol,  or 
white  copperas,  as  it  is  variously  called,  is  less  powerful 
than  lead  acetate,  but  better  suited  for  some  colors.  These 
two  substances  should  not  be  used  together,  as  if  so  used 
they  would  probably  decompose  each  other,  producing 
sulphate  of  lead  (which  is  an  opaque  white),  and  acetate 
of  sine,  which  is  a  bad  dryer.  Japanner's  gold  size  is  oil 
boiled  upon  litharge,  and  may  be  used  as  a  dryer  for 
lakes.  These  various  dryers  properly  used  will  generally 
completely  answer  the  printer's  purpose.  Too  much  of 
the  dryers  defeats  the  object  of  their  application  and  ren- 
ders the  inks  saponaceous. 

The  following  may  be  taken  as  good  rules  for  the  gen- 
eral use  of  dryers : 

First.  Not  to  employ  them  too  freely,  as  they  then 
retard  drying. 

Second.  Not  to  use  them  in  inks  which  dry  fairly  by 
themselves. 

Third.  Not  to  add  them  to  the  ink  too  long  before  it 
is  used,  which  would  make  them  "livery." 

Fourth.    Not  to  use  more  than  one  dryer  at  a  time. 

Fifth.     Not  to  use  secret  mixtures  recommended  by 


of  Lithography.  155 

others,  but  those  simple  dryers  with  which  you  are  ac- 
quainted. 

As  dryers  we  may  use  oil  boiled  upon  manganese,  or 
verdigris,  in  a  similar  manner  to  that  boiled  on  litharge. 
These  will  do  for  dark  colors.  Some  of  the  fast-drying 
pigments  may  also  be  used  as  additions  to  dark  colors, 
such  as  verdigris,  or  acetate  of  copper,  red  lead,  massicot 
and  manganese-brown. 

Ink  for  Tints. — Tinting  inks  are  those  which  are  em- 
ployed to  produce  light  gradations  of  color,  such  as  those 
found  in  skies,  clouds,  flesh,  etc.  They  are  produced  in 
two  ways,  each  of  which  has  its  own  advantages  and 
defects. 

The  reader  will  easily  understand  that  the  greater  the 
quantity  of  varnish  used,  in  proportion  to  the  color,  the 
paler  and  more  transparent  will  be  the  resulting  tint  when 
printed.  In  this  state  it  should  be  used  in  nearly  all  cases 
where  the  under  printing  is  intended  to  show  through  it. 
There  are  occasions,  however,  when  it  is  desirable  to  have 
the  tint  of  an  opaque  character.  It  is  then  usual  to  grind 
some  kind  of  white  pigment  with  the  ink,  and  as  the 
whites  made  from  lead  possess  the  best  covering  qualities, 
they  are  frequently  employed  for  this  purpose. 

The  use  of  white  in  tinting  ink  should  be  confined  to 
the  early  printings.  Whites  are,  indeed,  very  useful  in 
obtaining  effects  in  imitation  of  water-color  printing. 
Another  advantage  of  the  use  of  white  in  the  ink  is  that, 
on  account  of  its  requiring  to  be  printed  in  greater  body, 
its  effect  when  on  the  stone  is  more  easily  seen  than  that 
of  light  transparent  colors. 

In    the   production    of    chromos   many    of   our   best 


156  Practical  Text  Book 

printers  almost  entirely  discard  the  use  of  white,  which 
they  consider  inimical  to  softness  and  brilliancy. 

The  kind  of  varnish  to  be  used  for  tinting  ink  will 
depend  upon  the  nature  of  the  tint  to  be  printed.  If  it  be 
quite  a  plain  tint,  the  varnish  may  be  of  the  thinnest,  but 
if  it  be  an  etched  tint,  or  one  which  possesses  much  fine 
work  in  it,  the  varnish  should  be  stronger. 

Printing  Tints. — After  what  has  been  said  of  the 
nature  of  tint  ink  in  the  last  paragraph,  little  remains  to 
be  told  as  to  the  method  of  printing  with  it,  for  all  the 
principles  previously  laid  down  in  regard  to  printing  in 
black  apply  to  the  printing  in  colors  or  tints.  A  great 
help  to  printing  tints  well  and  quickly  is  the  use  of  proper 
rollers.  These  should  be  quite  even  on  the  face,  of  a 
fine  texture,  and  the  seam  quite  invisible.  It  will  save 
much  time,  and  add  to  the  probability  of  clean  work,  if 
five  rollers  be  employed,  one  each  for  the  blues,  reds  and 
yellows,  one  for  light  tints,  and  another  for  the  dark, 
broken  colors. 

Especial  attention  must  be  paid  to  the  thorough  clean- 
ing of  the  rollers,  both  by  scraping  and  washing  with 
turpentine. 

Many  attempts  have  from  time  to  time  been  made  to 
make  a  roller  applicable  to  lithography  which  should  pos- 
sess the  qualities  of  good  surface,  elasticity  and  imper- 
meability to  printing  ink.  Those  made  of  treacle  and 
glue,  which  are  used  by  letterpress  printers  for  block  or 
type  printing,  possess  these  qualities,  but  in  lithography 
the  water  used  in  damping  the  stone  rapidly  destroys  the 
surface  of  such  a  roller,  so  that  eventually  it  will  not  hold 
the  ink.  Rollers  formed  principally  of  india-rubber  pos- 


of  Lithography.  157 

sess  all  the  good  qualities  of  the  glazed  roller,  while  they 
are  permanently  soft  and  elastic  on  the  face,  and  possess 
a  certain  amount  of  nap,  in  which  the  ordinary  glazed 
roller  is  deficient.  They  are  in  use  by  some  of  the  best 
houses  in  the  trade,  and  are  highly  appreciated. 

Oleographs. — The  distinction  between  oleographs  and 
chromo-lithographs  is  only  one  of  name,  the  real  differ- 
ence consisting  merely  in  making  the  print  imitate  an  oil 
painting  as  much  as  possible.  To  this  end  the  finished 
print  is  mounted  on  canvas,  sized  and  varnished.  Some- 
times the  imitation  of  canvas  is  produced  in  the  press  by 
the  finished  print  being  pressed  in  close  contact  with  what 
is  technically  known  as  a  "roughing  stone." 

Roughing. — Some  of  the  most  successful  copies  pro- 
duced by  chromo-lithography  have  been  those  of  water- 
color  paintings.  Among  the  advantages  claimed  for 
water-color  paintings  are  the  even  granularity  of  the 
paper  and  the  absence  of  glaze.  There  are  no  patches  of 
thick  color  to  suggest  that  it  is  paint  we  are  looking  at, 
and  this  grain  of  the  paper  is  useful  in  preserving  those 
aerial  effects  in  which  water-color  paintings  excel  all 
others.  It  was  soon  seen  that  the  lithographic  imitation 
was  wanting  in  some  important  particulars,  viz.,  that  its 
surface  was  too  smooth,  and  lacked  the  atmosphere  seen 
in  the  original.  The  defect  once  observed,  the  remedy 
was  obvious — to  give  the  picture  the  necessary  granula- 
tion by  subjecting  it  to  pressure  on  a  rough  stone. 

The  roughing-stone  may  be  surfaced  by  using  very 
coarse  sand  under  the  levigator ;  but  if  this  is  not  thought 
to  be  rough  enough,  it  may  be  intensified  in  the  following 
or  a  similar  manner:  After  the  stone  is  dry  it  may  be 


158  Practical  Text  Book 

rolled  over  with  a  glazed  or  letterpress  roller  until  all  the 
points  of  the  grain  are  covered  with  ink,  the  bottom  of 
the  grain  remaining  bare.  Brunswick  black  may  be  used 
instead  of  ink;  but  if  the  latter  is  adopted,  the  stone  may 
be  wetted,  rolled  up  and  dusted  with  rosin.  These  points 
will  now  resist  the  action  of  weak  nitric  acid,  so  that  the 
interstices  may  be  bitten  until  the  desired  effect  is  attained. 

A  similar  result  may  be  obtained  by  applying  stump- 
ing chalk  to  the  tips  of  the  grain  with  wash  leather,  subse- 
quently rolling  it  up  and  treating  it  as  before  mentioned. 

If  it  be  desired  to  have  an  exact  imitation  of  rough 
drawing  paper,  the  latter  may  be  sent  to  the  stereotyper, 
who  will  furnish  a  cast  of  it  which  may  be  used  instead  of 
the  stone.  In  the  same  manner  a  cast  may  be  taken  from 
a  piece  of  canvas,  if  it  be  first  well  sized  with  starch. 

Chromo  Transfer  Prints  or  Decalcomanie. — These  are 
chromographs  which  are  intended  to  be  transferred  from 
the  paper  on  which  they  are  printed  to  some  other  surface. 

Take  some  thin  plate-paper,  and  brush  it  over  with 
flour  or  starch  paste.  When  this  is  dry  the  paper  may  be 
again  treated  with  a  strong  solution  of  gum,  or  gum  and 
starch.  When  again  dry  it  is  to  be  well  rolled.  The 
printing  is  done  on  this  paper,  but  the  colors  are  worked 
in  the  reverse  order  to  what  they  would  be  in  ordinary 
work.  The  transparent  colors  must  be  printed  first,  and 
the  opaque  ones  last,  so  that  when  transferred  the  two 
will  stand  in  their  proper  order.  If  these  transfers  are 
intended  for  being  transferred  to  glass,  the  natural  order 
must  be  observed,  because  they  will  be  seen  through  it. 

The  mode  in  which  these  pictures  are  transferred  is 
very  simple.  Either  the  surface  they  have  to  be  applied 


of  Lithography.  159 

to  or  the  back  of  the  print  is  brushed  with  a  varnish  such 
as  copal.  When  this  becomes  tacky  the  two  are  rubbed 
into  close  contact  and  allowed  to  dry.  If  the  paper  now 
be  sponged  upon  the  back,  it  may  be  pulled  off  after  soak- 
ing for  a  few  seconds,  leaving  the  printing  firmly  attached 
to  the  other  surface. 

Multiplication  .of  Color  Subjects  by  Transferring. — 
No  doubt  most  of  our  readers  have  seen  sheets  of 
chromos  in  which  the  subjects  are  repeated  so  as  to  make 
a  sheet-full.  These  are  not  drawn  so  many  times,  but  are 
transferred.  The  ordinary  process  of  transferring  will 
not  do  for  this  purpose.  To  insure  success,  means  must 
be  taken  to  prevent  the  expansion  of  the  work. 

There  are  two  methods  in  use  for  this  purpose.  In  the 
first  what  is  called  "unstretchable  varnish"  transfer  paper 
is  used.  Register  corners  are  put  to  each  subject  in  each 
color.  In  pulling  the  transfer  care  must  be  taken  to  have 
the  stone  dry  for  each  impression.  The  principal  color, 
or  the  key,  is  printed  upon  paper  that  has  been  well  rolled, 
or  it  may  be  printed  upon  a  thin  sheet  of  zinc.  The 
transfers  are  cut  accurately  at  the  register  corners,  and 
are  gummed  or  pasted  exactly  to  the  corresponding  cor- 
ners on  the  sheet  of  paper  or  zinc.  The  stone  having 
been  adjusted  in  the  press,  the  sheet  is  laid  upon  it  and 
pulled  through  once  under  good  pressure,  when  it  will  be 
found  to  have  absorbed  most  of  the  ink  from  the  pieces 
of  transfer  paper.  It  is  afterward  treated  as  an  ordinary 
transfer. 

When  paper  is  used  as  the  medium  of  carrying  the 
transfers  it  will  be  found  a  great  convenience  to  have  a 
framed  piece  of  thick  glass  which  can  be  set  nearly  up- 


160  Practical  Text  Book 

right  or  sloped  to  any  convenient  angle.  The  paper  key 
is  secured  to  the  glass  by  pasting  at  its  corners.  The 
glass  being  set  against  the  light  of  a  window,  a  piece  of 
white  paper  or  other  reflecting  surface  is  used  to  throw 
the  light  through  the  glass.  The  register  marks  can  be 
plainly  seen  through  the  transfers,  which  may  thus  be 
placed  in  position  with  great  accuracy.  This  instrument 
is  called  the  "sticking-up"  frame. 

The  second  method  is  perhaps  used  more  extensively 
than  the  one  just  described,  on  account  of  its  possessing 
some  advantages  peculiarly  its  own.  The  transfer  paper 
is  transparent  or  nearly  so,  being  prepared  on  one  side 
with  a  transfer  composition  which  will  easily  adhere  to 
a  wet  stone.  Paper  coated  with  a  solution  of  gum  arabic 
will  answer. 

The  transfers  are  pulled  on  this  paper  and  trimmed 
round,  but  not  so  closely  as  in  the  other  method,  because 
to  do  so  would  be  unnecessary.  They  are  now  fitted  over 
the  key  (which  can  be  sufficiently  seen  through  them  to 
insure  accurate  adjustment),  and  the  corners  gummed  to 
keep  the  transfers  in  their  places.  The  gum  being  dry, 
they  are  ready  to  be  transferred.  Zinc  may  also  be  used 
to  attach  the  transfers  to  in  this,  as  in  the  other  method, 
but  the  cement  used  must  not  get  dry,  because  it  is  im- 
portant that  the  transfers  shall  adhere  to  the  stone  instead 
of  the  zinc.  They  may  be  temporarily  attached  to  the 
zinc  by  means  of  a  little  stiff  varnish,  golden  syrup  and 
strong  gum,  or  other  similar  adhesive  matter  that  will 
hold  them  in  place,  and  yet  allow  them  to  separate  from 
the  zinc  when  necessary.  Thus  when  they  are  transferred 
to  the  damp  stone  they  must  adhere  to  it  sufficiently  for 
them  to  be  pulled  away  from  the  zinc  plate. 


of  Lithography.  161 

If  opaque  paper  be  used,  the  transfers  may  be  accu- 
rately set  up  to  register  in  the  following  simple  manner: 

Corners  are  drawn  in  the  key-stone,  which  are  inked 
over  in  each  succeeding  color.  In  each  label  of  the  stone 


r 

L. 


i 

' 


first  made  up  the  corners  are  allowed  to  remain;  but  in 
attaching  the  transfers  of  the  other  colors  part  of  each 
corner,  the  extreme  angle,  is  to  be  cut  away,  so  that  when 
one  is  laid  over  the  other  it  can  be  seen  plainly  whether 
the  lines  correspond. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHY — MODIFIED  PROCESSES. 

IN  this  chapter  we  will  treat  of  those  modes  of  produc- 
ing subjects  for  printing  from  stone  which  depend 
upon  the  action  of  light,  and  are  known  by  the  name  of 
photo-lithography. 

In  discussing  this  subject  we  do  not  intend  to  describe 
the  various  general  photographic  processes,  as  there  are 
many  cheap  and  good  treatises  on  the  subject  already  pub- 
lished. Most  of  these  photographic  manuals,  however, 
address  themselves  to  portrait  and  landscape  work,  and 
we  shall  briefly  point  out  the  specialties  of  certain  instru- 
ments which  are  best  adapted  to  the  technical  purpose  in 
view.  Before  doing  so,  however,  we  must  give  our 
readers  an  idea  of  the  complete  process  of  photography, 
so  as  to  enable  them  to  understand  the  details  afterward 
to  be  presented. 

Photo-lithography  is  a  method  of  producing  a  copy  of 
a  print  or  drawing  in  line  of  the  same  or  altered  dimen- 
sions. This  print  is  of  such  a  nature  that  it  can  be  multi- 
plied from  stone  or  zinc  at  the  ordinary  lithographic  press 
or  machine.  It  is  necessary  that  the  subject  to  be  copied 
should  consist  of  visible  lines  or  dots  to  insure  distinctness 
in  the  reproduction.  The  copying  is  done  by  photography 
upon  glass.  What  is  technically  called  a  "negative"  is 
first  of  all  produced.  If  this  negative  is  viewed  by  trans- 


of  Lithography.  163 

mitted  light,  it  will  be  seen  that  those  parts  which  corre- 
spond to  the  white  ground  of  the  original  drawing  or 
engraving  are  more  or  less  dark  and  opaque,  while  the 
copy  of  the  drawing  itself  consists  of  transparent  lines. 

This  negative  is  put  into  a  photographic  printing  or 
pressure  frame,  and  a  piece  of  chemically  prepared  paper 
is  placed  face  downward  upon  it,  in  contact  with  that  side 
of  the  glass  upon  which  the  picture  has  been  produced. 
The  back  is  then  secured  in  its  place  and  the  glass  side 
exposed  to  the  light.  After  it  has  been  sufficiently  ex- 
posed it  is  carried  into  a  dark  room  and  covered  all  over 
with  transfer  ink.  Upon  subsequently  washing  it  the 
transfer  ink  will  be  removed  from  those  parts  upon  which 
the  light  could  not  act ;  that  is  to  say,  upon  the  parts  corre- 
sponding to  the  white  paper ;  but  it  adheres  to  those  parts 
upon  which  the  light  has  acted,  namely,  the  lines.  We 
have  now  a  photographic  transfer,  which  may  be  applied 
to  a  stone  or  zinc  plate  and  printed  from  in  the  usual 
manner. 

After  this  general  outline  of  the  process  it  is  necessary 
to  explain  the  chemical  nature  of  the  paper  as  it  was  ex- 
posed to  light  under  the  negative.  Certain  salts  of  the 
metal  chromium,  notably  the  bichromates  of  potash  and 
ammonia,  possess  the  property  of  extreme  sensitiveness  to 
light  when  combined  with  various  organic  matters,  such  as 
gelatine,  albumen,  gum,  etc.  Being  rich  in  oxygen,  they 
quickly  yield  up  some  of  it  to  the  organic  substance  under 
the  influence  of  light,  and  render  it  insoluble  in  water. 

Not  only  is  the  organic  substance  rendered  insoluble, 
but  it  is  to  a  certain  extent  resistive  of  water,  so  that  the 
ink  applied  holds  to  it  tenaciously,  while  the  part  not  so 


164  Practical  Text  Book 

acted  upon  by  light  may  with  proper  care  be  washed  away. 
This  effect  also  occurs  spontaneously  even  in  the  dark 
when  the  paper  is  kept  for  some  time,  so  that  it  is  best  to 
prepare  it  as  wanted.  Further,  the  solution  itself  will 
keep  for  a  considerable  period  without  undergoing  a 
similar  change;  it  is  only  when  it  becomes  dry  that  the 
change  takes  place.  This  is  a  peculiarity  which  in  prac- 
tice is  found  to  be  very  serviceable.  We  thus  perceive 
that  the  prepared  paper  must  be  dry,  not  only  to  prevent 
staining  the  negative,  but  in  order  to  be  properly  influ- 
enced by  the  light.  We  are  enabled  to  coat  the  paper  in 
ordinary  daylight,  but  it  must  be  dried  in  the  dark. 

Let  us  now  glance  at  the  instruments  and  other 
requisites  for  this  process. 

The  Lens. — This  is  the  optical  arrangement  which 
produces  the  image  on  the  sensitive  glass  plate.  The  ordi- 
nary lenses  used  for  taking  portraits  and  landscapes  are 
not  adapted  for  this  purpose.  It  is  necessary  to  have 
lenses  that  will  give  in  the  negative  straight  marginal  lines 
corresponding  to  or  reproductive  of  the  similar  lines  in 
the  original.  Suppose,  for  instance,  a  very  large  map  is 
to  be  copied  by  this  process.  It  will  have  to  be  divided 
into  rectangular  portions,  each  one  of  which  must  be  suit- 
able for  copying  to  the  required  size,  according  to  the  lens 
used.  It  is  imperative  that  the  marginal  lines  of  each 
negative  be  straight,  or  they  will  not  join  each  other. 
Now,  the  picture  produced  by  the  ordinary  portrait  and 
landscape  combination  is  somewhat  barrel-shaped  on  its 
edges,  and  it  is  obvious  that  these  would  not  correctly 
join  together.  A  map  is  a  crucial  test,  because  not  only 
is  accuracy  imperative,  but  any  defect  is  at  once  visible. 


of  Lithography.  165 

We  cannot  divide  it  into  sections  without  cutting  through 
portions,  which  would  at  once  show  any  error  when  the 
sections  came  to  be  put  together. 

The  Camera. — This  is  the  dark  box  in  which  the  plate 
is  exposed  while  the  subject  is  being  copied.  We  shall 
not  describe  it,  because  that  will  be  done  in  the  work  on 
photography  that  may  be  selected  as  a  guide-book.  As 
it  is  not  every  lens  that  will  suit  our  purpose,  so  it  is  not 
every  camera  which  can  be  rendered  available. 

The  Negative. — A  negative  for  portraiture  or  land- 
scape is  best  when  it  is  more  or  less  translucent  in  every 
part,  but  that  for  our  present  purpose  should  be  uni- 
formly dense  or  opaque  all  over,  with  the  exception  of 
the  lines  forming  the  picture.  These  should  be  quite 
transparent.  It  is  not  easy,  and  not  always  practicable, 
at  first,  to  obtain  these  qualities,  but  they  should  be  the 
aim  of  the  worker,  because  after  a  little  experience  it  is 
comparatively  easy  to  produce  a  good  result  in  photo- 
lithography with  a  suitable  negative. 

Preparation  of  the  Sensitive  Transfer  Paper. — It  has 
been  stated  that  gum,  albumen  and  gelatine  are  the  prin- 
cipal organic  substances  employed  in  photo-lithography. 
The  chemical  differences  between  the  bichromates  of  am- 
monia and  potash  are  in  this  connection  so  slight  that  it 
will  be  sufficient  to  select  one  of  them — say,  the  bichro- 
mate of  potash.  Gelatine,  albumen  or  gum  may  be  used 
separately  or  in  conjunction,  but  to  simplify  the  manipu- 
lation we  shall  confine  our  attention  at  first  to  the  gela- 
tine. 

Set  i  oz.  of  the  purest  gelatine  to  soak  in  as  much 
water  as  will  cover  it.  While  this  is  soaking  dissolve 


166  Practical  Text  Book 

i  oz.  of  bichromate  of  potash  in  5  oz.  of  water,  and  filter. 
After  the  gelatine  has  swollen  pour  upon  it  sufficient  boil- 
ing water  to  make  n  ounces,  and  add  the  5  oz.  of  bi- 
chromate solution  to  it.  If  put  away  in  a  cool  place  this 
will  keep  good  for  a  considerable  time — much  longer  than 
will  the  paper  that  is  afterward  prepared. 

When  used,  this  bichromatized  gelatine  should  be 
poured  into  a  dish,  and  the  temperature  raised  to  about 
100  deg.  Fahr.  Some  positive  photographic  or  other  fine- 
woven  paper  is  taken  by  the  corners  and  lowered  upon  it 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  exclude  air-bubbles.  Let  it  remain 
for  two  minutes,  and  then  hang  it  up  by  one  corner  to  dry 
in  a  dark  room.  When  dry  it  may  be  again  floated  upon 
the  same  solution  to  insure  it  being  uniformly  coated,  and 
hung  up  by  the  opposite  corner  to  dry  again. 

A  piece  of  this  paper  is  placed  in  the  pressure  frame. 
It  will  be  found  upon  examination  that  the  back  of  the 
frame  is  divided  into  two  parts  by  hinges,  so  that  one 
compartment  may  be  lifted  and  the  progress  of  the  action 
of  light  watched  from  time  to  time.  The  exposure  may 
be  for  a  minute  or  an  hour,  and  will  depend  upon  the 
intensity  of  the  light  and  the  quality  of  the  negative. 

Inking  and  Development  of  the  Transfer. — A  stone  or 
metal  plate  having  been  adjusted  for  pressure  in  the  press, 
is  now  inked  up  in  transfer  ink.  The  photographic  print 
is  taken  out  of  its  frame,  laid  face  downward  upon  the 
stone  and  pulled  through  the  press,  by  which  it  is  uni- 
formly covered  with  transfer  ink.  It  is  now  laid  with  its 
back  upon  water  warmed  to  the  temperature  of  100  deg. 
After  soaking  for  a  few  minutes  it  is  laid  upon  a  slab 
and  the  inked  side  of  the  paper  sponged  with  gum-water 


of  Lithography.  167 

until  the  picture  becomes  quite  clean,  after  which  it  is 
washed  repeatedly  by  pouring  warm  water  over  it.  When 
dry  it  is  ready  for  transferring. 

Transferring. — As  a  basis  upon  which  to  transfer  the 
print  we  may  use  either  stone  or  zinc.  For  all  ordinary 
work  we  have  found  stone  to  answer  every  requirement. 

The  transfer  is  placed  in  the  damping  book  until  it 
becomes  limp;  it  is  then  pulled  through  the  press  upon 
the  stone  or  zinc  plate. 

When  transferred  the  subject  is  treated  exactly  as  if 
it  were  an  ordinary  transfer  from  stone. 

A  Modified  Process. — Some  of  the  most  successful 
operators  use  an  addition  of  albumen  to  the  sensitizing 
solution.  The  most  available  source  of  albumen  is  the 
whites  of  eggs.  The  white  being  carefully  separated  from 
the  yolk,  is  beaten  up  until  it  becomes  entirely  a  froth. 
It  is  set  aside,  when  the  chief  part  recovers  the  liquid 
form,  becomes  very  limpid,  and  may  be  filtered,  which 
before  would  have  been  impossible.  If  only  the  white  of 
one  egg  be  operated  upon,  an  equal  quantity  of  water  may 
be  'added  to  it,  so  as  to  render  it  more  easily  beaten. 

A  little  albumen  having  been  mixed  with  sensitized 
gelatine  solution,  the  paper  is  prepared  as  before;  but 
care  must  be  taken  that  the  solution  is  not  heated  enough 
to  produce  coagulation  of  the  albumen,  which  happens  at 
a  temperature  above  140  deg.  or  160  deg. 

This  paper  is  treated  precisely  as  the  other,  so  far  as 
exposure  and  inking  are  concerned,  but  it  must  be  floated 
inky  side  upward  on  nearly  boiling  water. 

Lichtdruk  or  Albertype. — The  inventor  of  this  process, 
Herr  Albert,  substituted  glass  as  the  basis  for  the  gela- 


168  Practical  Text  Book 

tine  because  it  gave  him  the  opportunity  of  hardening  the 
film  from  the  back  by  exposure  to  light.  By  a  prelimi- 
nary coating  of  bichromatized  albumen,  also  hardened  by 
exposure  from  the  back,  he  was  enabled  to  effect  his  pur- 
pose more  completely,  so  that  a  large  number  of  impres- 
sions could  be  produced  of  very  great  beauty,  and  hardly 
distinguishable  at  a  little  distance  from  silver  prints  from 
the  same  negative. 

The  Heliotype. — In  this  process  the  film  of  gelatine  is 
made  portable.  A  glass  plate  having  the  slightest  possible 
film  of  wax  upon  it  is  leveled,  and  the  mixture  of  gelatine 
and  bichromate  of  potash,  with  a  small  quantity  of  chrome 
alum,  is  poured  upon  it  to  the  thickness  of  cardboard. 
When  this  has  dried  hard  the  film  can  be  removed  from 
the  glass  and  exposed  under  the  negative  in  the  same 
manner  as  a  piece  of  paper.  After  exposure  the  soluble 
salt  is  washed  out  and  the  film  again  dried.  For  printing 
from,  the  film  is  secured  to  'a  metal  plate  by  a  solution  of 
india  rubber  run  around  the  edge.  It  is  then  treated  pre- 
cisely as  the  Albertype  plate,  but  with  this  difference,  that 
the  inventor,  Mr.  Edwards,  prefers  an  Albion  or  similar 
letterpress  instead  of  the  lithographic  one. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

TRACINGS — AUTOGRAPHIC  TRANSFERS — REVERSING 
TRANSFERS. 

WITH  a  view  to  avoiding  confusion  in  the  treat- 
ment of  our  subject,  we  here  refer  to  a  few 
processes  which  do  not  frequently  come  within  ordinary 
practice,  but  which  nevertheless  should  be  understood, 
on  account  of  their  occasional  usefulness.  Some  of  them 
might  have  been  included  in  a  previous  chapter,  but  it  has 
been  thought  best  to  allot  them  a  separate  one. 

Tracing  Photographs  and  Other  Subjects  of  Indistinct 
Outline. — It  often  happens  that  the  lithographer  requires 
an  outline  tracing  of  a  subject  which,  though  tolerably 
clear  in  itself,  becomes  very  confused  when  seen  through 
the  ordinary  tracing  paper.  There  are  several  methods 
of  overcoming  this  difficulty,  and  are  accurately  described 
under  the  heading  "Keystones"  in  Chapter  XL 

Autographic  Transfers  by  Turpentine. — The  method 
of  transferring  by  means  of  turpentine,  described  in  the 
chapter  on  keystones,  is  capable  of  still  wider  application. 
Writings  in  lithographic  ink,  and  recent  impressions  from 
stone  and  type  on  plain  paper,  may  be  transferred  success- 
fully in  a  similar  manner ;  indeed,  we  much  doubt  whether 
they  may  not  be  more  certainly  and  better  executed  by 
this  method  than  by  the  Anastatic  process. 

Reversing  Transfers. — Circumstances  sometimes  arise 


170  Practical  Text  Book 

in  which  the  lithographer  desires  to  reproduce  automat- 
ically subjects  which  involve  much  labor  when  executed 
by  hand.  Of  designs  which  are  repeated,  like  some  kinds 
of  borders,  a  portion  only  may  be  drawn  upon  the  stone 
or  transfer  paper,  and  be  completed  by  taking  retransfers 
of  such  portion,  mounting  them  in  the  manner  required 
upon  a  piece  of  paper,  and  transferring  the  whole  to  the 
stone,  when  any  defects  may  be  remedied  by  the  methods 
we  described  when  treating  of  corrections.  It  sometimes 
happens,  however,  that  the  design  is  of  such  a  character 
as  not  to  contain  elements  that  are  often  repeated,  but 
which  require  a  duplicate  in  reverse,  in  regard  to  right 
and  left.  The  design  may  be  an  ornamental  one,  involv- 
ing much  intricate  drawing,  and  the  artist  may  be  desirous 
of  avoiding  the  tracing,  retracing  and  drawing  that  would 
be  necessary  to  repeat  the  design  for  the  other  half  of  the 
border. 

Transposition  of  Black  and  White. — It  is  sometimes 
desirable  to  be  able  to  change  dark  letters,  etc.,  on  a  light 
ground  to  light  letters  on  a  dark  ground.  This  will  be 
found  of  great  advantage  in  some  kinds  of  color  printing, 
as  in  the  instance  of  printing  in  bronze  or  silver  on  dark 
glazed  paper. 

First. — If  the  subject  be  a  copper-plate  engraving,  the 
transfer  ink  or  letterpress  printing  ink  may  be  applied 
directly  to  its  surface  by  means  of  a  letterpress  roller, 
using  it  lightly  and  with  as  little  ink  as  will  answer  the 
purpose  of  transferring.  The  impression  may  be  taken 
at  the  lithographic  press,  but  instead  of  laying  a  soft 
material  at  the  back  of  the  transfer  paper,  a  piece  of  very 
smooth  cardboard  should  be  used.  If  this  is  properly 


of  Lithography.  171 

done,  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  transferring  it  by  one 
of  the  methods  hereinbefore  described. 

Second. — In  this  system  any  subject  that  can  be 
printed  from  a  polished  stone  may  be  changed  from  a 
light  ground  to  a  dark  one  or  vice  versa.  The  subject 
having  been  protected  by  rosin,  is  to  be  acidulated  until 
it  stands  perceptibly  in  relief,  the  thickness  of  the  resinous 
coating  being  allowed  for.  Wash  the  ink,  etc.,  away  with 
turpentine,  and  the  whole  stone  quite  clean  with  water, 
using  clean  water,  containing  about  one  per  cent  of  acid, 
for  the  final  wash.  The  stone  having  become  dry,  cover 
the  work  to  the  extent  desired  for  the  ground  with  litho- 
graphic writing  ink,  which  must  be  permitted  to  dry, 
when  the  whole  may  be  rolled  up  in  printing  ink.  This 
covering  with  lithographic  ink  may,  if  the  operator  wishes, 
be  done  after  the  etching  operation,  allowing  the  stone  to 
dry.  The  work  and  the  ground  being  now  equally  black, 
the  ink  has  to  be  removed  from  the  parts  in  relief,  so  that 
they  may  be  reversed  from  black  to  white.  Take  a  piece 
of  snake-stone,  making  it  quite  flat  by  rubbing  it  upon  the 
margin  of  the  stone ;  then  polish  away  the  surface  of  the 
raised  portion  until  the  design  becomes  quite  clear.  If 
any  part  of  the  ground  should  be  accidentally  damaged, 
it  must  be  touched  up  with  lithographic  ink  to  repair  it. 
Gum  the  stone,  dry,  and  roll  up.  It  may  be  again 
rosined  and  etched,  in  the  same  way  as  before,  if  it  is 
thought  worth  while,  to  reduce  the  parts  in  relief  to 
the  level  of  the  ground.  Many  examples  of  this  kind 
of  work  will  be  found  among  labels  and  show-cards — the 
uninitiated  sometimes  thinking  they  are  printed  in  white, 
more  especially  when  the  sample  has  first  been  set  up 
in  type. 


172  Practical  Text  Book* 

Third. — If  an  impression  of  the  subject  to  be  trans- 
posed be  taken  in  a  strong  ink,  it  may  be  dusted  over  with 
finely  powdered  dry  gum  arabic  or  with  dextrine,  which 
may  subsequently  be  placed  in  a  damp  place  until  it  be- 
comes sticky.  In  this  state  it  may  be  laid  face  downward 
on  a  damp  stone,  and  the  gummy  coating  transferred  to 
the  stone.  The  margin  may  now  be  protected  by  gum- 
ming it  round  to  the  shape  and  drying  it.  If  a  roller  with 
greasy  ink  be  applied  to  the  dry  stone,  it  will  be  covered 
all  over ;  but,  on  subsequently  washing  with  water,  the  ink 
will  come  away  where  the  stone  was  protected  by  the 
gummy  covering  transferred  to  it  from  the  design. 

Fourth. — At  least  partial  success  may  be  obtained  by 
gumming  the  stone  all  over,  drying  it,  washing  it  off,  and 
again  drying.  The  transfer  in  greasy  ink  is  now  to  be 
made  with  care.  A  very  weak  etching  water  must  next 
be  applied  to  clear  the  stone  of  gum  only,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  that  lying  under  the  design.  Dry  again,  and  roll 
in  with  printing  ink.  If  the  stone  be  now  damped  and 
rolled  in  with  very  stiff  ink,  the  parts  of  the  design  where 
the  gum  was  not  etched  away  will  probably  yield  the  ink 
of  the  transfer  and  become  white,  which  may  then  be 
kept  pure  and  open  by  another  application  of  the  etching 
water. 

Fifth. — A  process  similar  to  the  last  is  the  following: 
Apply  to  the  surface  of  the  stone  a  solution  of  silicate  of 
potash  (commonly  known  as  water-glass)  ;  make  the 
transfer ;  dust  with  powder  rosin,  and  remove  the  water- 
glass  with  a  solution  of  alum;  ink  in,  and  proceed  as 
before  described. 

Sixth. — Transposition    may    be    effected    by    photo- 


of  Lithography.  173 

lithography.  Take  a  clean  piece  of  sensitized  photo- 
lithographic paper,  print  the  design  upon  it,  and  dust  it 
with  bronze  powder  to  make  it  more  impenetrable  to  the 
action  of  light ;  expose  it  to  light,  and  treat  it  as  a  photo- 
graphic transfer. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

LABELS — BRONZING — GILDING — DUSTING — DABBING 
STYLE. 

MAKING  Up  Sheets  of  Labels,  Etc.— Having 
determined  upon  the  size  of  the  sheet,  or 
portion  of  the  sheet,  upon  which  it  is  proposed  to 
print,  it  must  be  set  out  with  a  pair  of  dividers 
and  ruled  with  pencil  into  as  many  squares,  oblongs 
or  other  shapes  as  are  to  be  printed  at  one  time. 
By  the  method  already  described  for  taking  trans- 
fers, pull  as  many  transfers  as  required,  taking 
notice  that  each  one  is  good  enough  for  the  purpose. 
Trim  them  round  neatly  with  a  pair  of  scissors,  a  little 
within  the  size  of  the  space  marked  on  the  paper,  holding 
them  in  such  a  manner  as  not  in  any  way  to  soil  them. 
With  a  small  stiff  brush,  or  other  convenient  instrument, 
lay  a  little  thick  paste  at  the  corners  of  the  spaces  marked, 
and  carefully  lay  the  transfer  upon  it,  sliding  it  or  shift- 
ing it  into  position  by  the  help  of  a  pointed  penknife  or 
any  similar  tool,  using  the  same  to  press  the  transfer  upon 
the  pasted  portion  of  the  paper,  so  as  to  maintain  it  in 
place.  See  that  it  is  right  by  the  help  of  a  straight-edge 
or  parallel  ruler,  and  proceed  to  the  next  transfer,  and 
so  on  until  all  are  done.  When  the  pieces  to  be  handled 
are  very  small,  and  have  comparatively  no  margin,  a  pair 
of  spring  forceps,  such  as  are  used  by  watchmakers,  will 


of  Lithography.  175 

be  found  very  convenient  in  laying  the  little  pieces  in 
position. 

In  printing  labels,  every  care  must  be  taken  in  laying 
the  sheet  exactly  to  the  mark,  so  that  when  carefully 
"knocked  up"  they  may  be  exactly  over  each  other.  Some- 
times the  sheet  has  a  cross  or  other  mark  printed  at  each 
end  of  it,  which  forms  a  guide  to  thread  the  sheets  on 
two  fine  wires  so  as  to  get  them  in  exact  position. 

The  subject  of  "sticking  up"  colored  labels  was,  how- 
ever, treated  of  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  chromo-lithog- 
raphy. 

Bronzing,  dusting  and  metaling,  though  more  usually 
connected  with  color  printing,  will  be  described  in  this 
place,  because  they  are  often  required  unaccompanied 
by  other  colors. 

The  principle  of  the  operation  is  very  simple.  An  im- 
pression having  been  taken  in  a  suitable  adhesive  ink,  the 
bronze  powder,  silver  or  gold  powder  or  dust  color  is 
applied  to  the  wet  ink  by  means  of  a  pad  of  cotton  wool, 
proportioned  in  size  to  the  space  to  be  covered,  the  super- 
fluous powder  being  afterward  removed  by  a  soft  cloth. 
When  dry,  much  brilliancy  may  be  added  by  rolling  the 
impression  on  a  finely  polished  metal  plate. 

In  selecting  a  paper  for  this  work  regard  must  first  of 
all  be  had  to  the  purpose  it  is  intended  for.  Writing 
paper  answers  very  well  because  it  is,  when  good,  suf- 
ficiently sized  as  not  to  absorb  the  ink,  and  consequently 
enough  of  the  ink  is  left  upon  the  surface  to  retain  the 
powder.  Enameled  and  plate  papers,  having  an  absorbent 
ground,  require  more  and  stronger  ink,  so  that  at  least 
some  may  remain  on  the  surface. 


176  Practical  Text  Book 

Metal  is,  of  course,  applied  differently  to  the  powders. 
Dutch  metal,  Planier  metal  and  Lane's  metal  may  be 
brought  to  a  suitable  size  by  cutting  through  the  book 
which  holds  it.  The  "laying  on"  is  performed  by  a  boy, 
who,  removing  the  printed  sheet  to  a  convenient  table, 
takes  the  book  or  part  book  of  metal  and  lays  it  upon 
his  left  hand,  with  its  joint  toward  the  right ;  folding  back 
the  thin  upper  paper,  he  turns  it  under  the  book,  thus 
exposing  the  leaf  of  metal.  Taking  the  joint  of  the  book 
between  the  thumb  and  finger  of  the  right  hand,  he  dex- 
trously  turns  the  sheet  of  metal  over  into  its  place  on  the 
printed  sheet. 

Real  gold  leaf  is  more  difficult  to  handle,  and,  being 
so  exceedingly  thin,  cannot  be  applied  immediately  after 
printing  without  the  ink  coming  through ;  consequently, 
some  time  must  be  allowed  to  elapse  between  printing  and 
gilding.  The  following  is  the  method  employed  among 
gilders  for  applying  the  gold: 

The  tools  are  a  cushion,  tip,  knife,  dabber  and  soft- 
ener. The  cushion  is  a  kind  of  wooden  palette,  about 
9  by  6  inches,  covered  with  smooth  leather,  stuffed  with 
wool.  The  tip  is  a  peculiar  kind  of  brush,  consisting 
of  a  thin  line  of  badger's  hair  placed  between  two  pieces 
of  cardboard.  The  knife  is  similar  in  appearance  to  a 
palette-knife,  and  is  made  to  cut  along  one  edge  only. 
The  dabber  is  a  tuft  of  cotton  wool  covered  with  some 
very  thin  silk.  The  softener  is  a  long-haired  brush,  used 
to  remove  the  superfluous  gold. 

The  manipulation  is  as  follows:  The  leaf  of  gold  is 
first  removed  from  the  book,  and  laid  upon  the  cushion  by 
means  of  the  knife,  which  alone  must  touch  it.  This 


of  Lithography.  177 

operation  requires  some  experience  in  order  that  it  may 
be  properly  performed.  A  gentle  breathing  under  the 
leaf  should  so  lift  it  as  to  permit  of  the  knife  being  in- 
serted under  it.  It  is  then  lifted  to  the  cushion,  and 
flattened  upon  it  by  a  similar  emission  of  the  breath.  The 
gold  is  divided  into  strips,  squares,  or  oblongs  of  suitable 
size  for  the  work  by  the  aid  of  the  knife.  The  "tip"  being 
drawn  across  the  gilder's  face  or  hair,  and  applied  to  the 
gold  on  the  cushion,  will  lift  it  off.  It  may  then  be  laid 
down  on  the  prepared  surface,  and  pressed  gently  into  its 
place  by  the  dabber.  The  whole  being  covered,  it  is  set 
aside  to  dry,  when  the  superfluous  gold  may  be  removed 
with  the  softener. 


12 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
ENGRAVING  ON  STONE. 

WE  have,  in  preceding  chapters,  described  all  the 
methods  of  producing  lithographs  in  black  and 
colors,  in  which  the  application  of  suitable  ink  or  crayon 
to  the  surface  of  the  stone  has  depended  upon  the  manip- 
ulative skill  and  knowledge  of  form  possessed  by  the 
artist.  We  have  also  described  the  various  methods  of 
transferring.  There  still  remain  to  be  treated  of:  En- 
graving on  Stone;  Zincography,  as  an  application  of  the 
principles  of  lithography  to  printing  from  metal  plates. 

Engraving  on  Stone  may  be  said  to  be  connected 
with  Lithography  only  by  the  chemical  nature  of  the 
processes  of  printing,  for  in  every  other  respect  it  is  an  en- 
tirely distinct  mode  of  reproduction.  We  describe  it  in 
this  place,  however,  in  accordance  with  our  plan  of  de- 
scribing all  those  manual  methods  of  Lithography  in 
which  color  is  used. 

Engraving  on  stone  is  performed  by  cutting  through 
a  film  of  gum  on  or  in  the  surface  of  the  stone,  and 
filling  up  the  incised  parts  with  a  fatty  ink.  The  print- 
ing is  performed  by  a  combination  of  the  dabbing  method 
of  copperplate  and  the  damping  method  of  lithographic 
printing.  Its  advantages  are — facility  of  production ;  ac- 
curacy of  drawing ;  minuteness  of  detail ;  and  clearness 
of  impression.  It  is  especially  applicable  to  the  reproduc- 


of  Lithography.  179 

tion  of  drawings  by  architects  and  civil  and  mechanical 
engineers  when  drawn  to  a  small  scale,  and  being  per- 
formed by  tools  analogous  to  those  employed  by  the  archi- 
tect and  engineer  themselves,  errors  due  to  freehand 
engraving  or  drawing  can  be  entirely  avoided. 

The  Tools. — These  will  not  involve  the  lithographer 
in  much  extra  expense,  as  he  may  make  some  of  them 
himself.  A  diamond  point  is  undoubtedly  a  very  useful 
instrument,  but  it  is  expensive,  and  will  cost  as  much, 
perhaps,  as  all  the  rest  of  the  tools  put  together.  Added 
to  this,  the  beginner  will  find  that  it  requires  more  practice 
to  use  it  properly,  and  will  not  equal  the  precision  of  the 
steel  points  about  to  be  described.  From  a  tailors' 
trimming  warehouse,  or  elsewhere,  obtain  a  packet  of 
strong  needles,  such  as  tailors  use  for  sewing  on  buttons. 
From  a  toy-shop  procure  a  common  cane,  about  as  thick 
as  an  ordinary  lead  pencil,  and  cut  it  into  pieces  about 
three  and  a-half  or  four  inches  long,  rejecting  the  joints. 
These  pieces  should  be  cut  square  across,  and  a  centre 
made  with  a  point,  as  accurately  as  possible.  Having 
obtained  access  to  a  vise,  oil  the  needle  and  screw  it  up 
lightly  in  a  horizontal  direction,  leaving  about  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  of  it  projecting;  adjust  the  marked  centre  to 
the  needle,  hold  the  cane  in  a  line  with  the  needle,  and 
push  it  on  until  it  reaches  the  jaws  of  the  vise ;  loosen  the 
vise,  screw  up  again,  leaving  a  little  more  of  the  needle 
to  project,  and  push  the  cane  further  on  as  before.  Re- 
peat this  until  nearly  the  whole  of  the  needle  is  pushed 
into  the  cane.  By  adopting  this  method  of  supporting 
the  needle  in  the  vise,  and  pushing  the  cane  onto 
it  by  degrees,  we  are  enabled  to  effect  our  purpose 


180  Practical  Text  Book 

without  breaking  the  needle.  The  cane  may  now  be 
cut  in  the  manner  of  a  black-lead  pencil,  and  the 
point  may  be  shaped  upon  an  Arkansas  oilstone.  Two 
conical  points  will  be  required,  one  long  and  tapering 
— almost  as  much  as  the  original  point  of  the  needle — 
and  the  other  more  obtuse,  for  stronger  lines.  For 
shade  lines,  rub  a  flat  side  on  the  thicker  part  of  the 
needle,  and  opposite  to  it  make  it  round;  this  will  make 
the  point  somewhat  spoon-shape,  and  will  be  found  to 
have  the  most  useful  form  for  ordinary  work.  The  flat 
side  is  intended  for  the  cutting  part.  When  broad  points 
are  desired,  the  eye  of  the  needle  may  be  left  projecting, 
instead  of  the  point.  A  -very  good  tracing  point  may  be 
made  by  first  breaking  off  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
of  the  needle,  and  then  rubbing  the  broken  part  on  the 
oilstone  until  it  becomes  round  and  without  any  angle 
which  would  scratch  the  paper.  When  found  to  be  free 
from  a  tendency  to  scratch,  it  may  be  polished  on  a  piece 
of  leather  covered  with  crocus  or  red  oxide  of  iron.  The 
compasses  for  engraving  may  be  the  best  Lancashire 
spring  dividers.  Choose  two  of  each  of  the  sizes  suitable 
for  the  work.  Make  one  leg  a  smoothly-pointed  cone — 
the  smoother  and  more  pointed  it  is  the  better,  as  it  will 
then  hold  to  its  work  and  may  be  kept  to  a  smaller 
centre  hole  than  it  would  otherwise  require.  The  other 
legs  should  be  brought  to  a  V  shape  and  spoon  shape 
respectively — the  one  for  fine  lines  and  the  other  for 
enlarging  them  into  shade  lines.  For  the  smaller  circles, 
a  bow  pencil  with  a  stiff  spring  may  be  used,  by  sub- 
stituting a  steel  point  for  the  pencil.  The  points  for 
the  fine  lines  will  require  frequent  sharpening  in  the 


of  Lithography.  181 

course  of  the  work,  and  the  oilstone  must  be  constantly 
kept  by  the  engraver's  side.  Very  nice  but  expensive 
tools  may  be  bought  suitable  for  this  class  of  work,  but 
those  just  described  will  produce  as  good  a  quality  of 
work  as  any. 

Preparation  of  the  Stone — The  instructions  usually 
given  recommend  a  film  of  gum  to  be  left  upon  the 
surface  of  the  stone.  This  may  be  regarded  as  impossible 
in  practice,  for  the  film  is  certain  to  be  thicker  in  some 
places  than  others,  and  if  any  mode  of  wiping  has  been 
used  streaks  will  be  left,  over  which  the  tool  will  partially 
jump  and  cause  an  uneven  line  when  a  fine  one  is 
attempted.  Fortunately  it  is  unnecessary  to  leave  any 
gum  up,on  the  surface  of  the  stone,  all  that  is  required 
being  to  fill  the  pores  of  the  surface. 

The  stone  should  have  as  perfect  a  surface  as  possible. 
This  being  obtained,  the  stone  must  be  dried  and  then 
gummed,  and  dried  again.  The  gum  must  not  be  too 
thin,  but  it  will  be  sufficiently  thick  if  it  dries  upon  the 
stone  with  a  good  gloss.  If  a  little  nitric  acid  be  added 
to  the  gum  the  subsequent  colored  coating  will  be  darker, 
but  we  think  that  the  acid  makes  the  stone  harder  to  cut. 
If  the  stone  has  been  warmed  to  dry  the  gum,  it  should 
be  allowed  to  cool  again.  The  stone  is  now  to  be  covered 
with  water,  until  all  the  gum  has  become  dissolved;  if 
the  gum  was  previously  strained,  this  dissolving  will  soon 
take  place,  but  if  the  surface  before  moistening  appeared 
rough,  the  hand  had  better  be  passed  over  to  feel  if  any 
specks  are  left  upon  the  stone.  All  the  gum  being  now 
in  a  state  of  solution  the  stone  must  be  placed  in  a 
slanting  position,  and  plenty  of  water  poured  over  to 


182  Practical  Text  Book 

wash  off  the  gum.  It  is  best  not  to  rub  the  stone  with 
the  hand  in  this  operation,  because  all  the  gum  that  is 
in  the  stone  should  be  kept  there.  When  the  stone  is 
dry  it  will  be  seen  whether  it  has  been  sufficiently  washed, 
by  its  presenting  an  even  appearance ;  if  it  shines  in 
streaks  or  patches  it  was  not  washed  enough. 

As  in  executing  this  style  of  work  the  lines  are  to 
show  up  light  on  a  dark  ground,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
color  its  surface.  For  a  black  ground  rub  in  some  best 
Paris  black  until  the  ground  is  as  dark  as  it  can  be  made. 
The  superfluous  quantity  must  be  removed  with  a  soft 
cloth,  or  the  tracing  will  not  adhere.  A  red  ground  may 
be  laid  with  red  chalk,  but  be  sure  it  is  red  chalk,  as 
sometimes  common  Venetian  red  is  substituted  for  it. 
Red  chalk  may  be  known  by  being  smooth  to  the  touch, 
and  will  polish  when  rubbed  with  the  ringer.  Anything 
gritty  or  abrading  must  be  avoided  in  laying  grounds,  and 
any  scratches  made  in  this  operation  will  print. 

The  Tracing  is  best  made  on  the  black  stone  with 
paper  prepared  with  chrome-yellow ;  but  on  the  red  stone 
it  must  be  done  with  a  paper  covered  on  one  side  with 
Paris  black,  the  ordinary  black-lead  paper  not  being  suffi- 
ciently intense.  Where  great  accuracy  is  required,  the 
tracing  may  be  neatly  made  in  indian-ink,  to  which  a 
little  sugar,  gum,  and  ox-gall  have  been  added.  The 
tracing  having  been  made,  is  to  be  placed  between  damp 
sheets  of  paper  for  a  few  minutes,  so  that  the  ink  may 
become  slightly  moist.  When  it  is  found  to  shine,  it 
must  be  laid  face  downwards  upon  the  stone  and  passed 
once  through  the  press,  when  sufficient  of  the  ink  will 
have  set  off  to  enable  the  draughtsman  to  see  his  work 
very  well. 


of  Lithography.  183 

The  Engraving  is  so  simple  as  to  scarcely  require 
description.  It  more  resembles  etching  upon  copper  than 
engraving,  but  as  the  term  etching  is  in  lithography  appro- 
priated to  the  acidulation  of  the  stone,  usage  has  decided 
in  favor  of  this  mode  being  called  engraving  upon  stone. 

Let  it  be  supposed  that  the  subject  to  be  engraved 
is  a  piece  of  machinery.  Begin  by  determining  the  junc- 
tion of  the  circular  arcs  with  the  straight  lines,  marking 
them  with  a  pencil.  As  it  is  easier  to  join  straight  lines 
to  circular  arcs  than  the  reverse,  it  is  preferable,  in  most 
instances,  to  put  the  curves  and  circles  in  first,  with  the 
compasses.  In  doing  this  care  must  be  taken  that  in 
making  small  circles  the  stationary  leg  of  the  compasses 
must  be  slightly  longer  than  the  moving  one,  or  it  will 
be  apt  to  slip  out  when  making  the  cut  with  the  other 
leg.  A  sharp  point,  practice,  'and  perseverance  will 
enable  the  young  engraver  to  do  this  without  making  a 
large  centre  hole.  The  circular  portions  having  been 
executed,  proceed  to  the  straight  lines  by  the  help  of 
the  parallel  rulers  and  a  point  not  too  fine.  The  facility 
with  which  thin  lines  may  be  made  in  this  process  gener- 
ally tempts  the  student  to  employ  them  for  outlining 
the  subject.  This  is  a  mistake.  They  should  be  reserved 
for  tinting  and  shading,  especially  in  those  parts  that 
approach  the  light.  When  the  whole  has  been  firmly 
outlined,  the  compasses  having  the  spoon-shaped  point 
may  be  used  for  thickening  the  shade-lines,  and  a  similar 
point,  with  the  ruler  for  a  guide,  for  strengthening  the 
straight  lines  on  the  dark  side. 

The  thin,  taper,  and  very  sharp  point  may  now  be 
used  for  the  delicate  lines  of  cylindrical  and  other  shading 


184  Practical  Text  Book 

next  the  light,  deepening  the  lines  and  exchanging  the 
point  for  a  broader  tool  as  the  darker  portions  are 
reached.  A  little  practice,  and  the  study  of  good  ex- 
amples will  teach  the  student  more  of  this  work  than 
can  possibly  be  conveyed  by  writing. 

The  engraving  having  been  completed,  the  centre- 
holes  and  other  parts  that  must  not  be  printed  may  be 
stopped  out  with  a  little  acidulated  gum-water,  colored 
with  any  convenient  pigment  to  enable  it  to  be  seen,  and 
applied  with  the  point  of  a  sable  pencil. 

In  working,  avoid  the  condensation  of  the  breath  upon 
the  stone,  which  may  cause  the  gum  in  the  stone  to 
spread,  and  injure  the  more  delicate  lines.  For  a  similar 
reason,  guard  the  stone  against  the  reception  of  any  kind 
of  mucilaginous  matter. 

Corrections  in  this  kind  of  work  must  be  avoided  as 
far  as  possible.  If  it  be  imperative  that  any  should  be 
made  during  the  progress  of  the  work  the  part  must  be 
scraped  out  as  smoothly  as  possible,  and  a  new  ground 
laid.  This  may  be  done  by  painting  over  the  place  neatly 
with  the  ordinary  cake  water-colors  of  any  convenient 
tint.  Red  chalk  or  light  red  will  do  very  well,  but  it  must 
be  understood  that  this,  though  an  effectual  "stop,"  will 
not  be  so  pleasant  to  work  upon  as  the  original  ground. 

Let  it  be  supposed  that  the  work  is  finished ;  it  must 
next  be  made  ready  for  the  printer.  Take,  upon  a  soft  rag 
some  thin  printing  ink,  boiled  oil,  thin  varnish,  tallow,  or 
in  fact  any  kind  of  grease,  and  rub  it  into  the  lines  form- 
ing the  engraving.  Though  any  of  these  substances  will 
answer  the  purpose,  yet,  in  practice,  thin  printing  ink  will 
be  found  most  convenient,  because  it  is  always  at  hand, 


of  Lithography.  185 

and  shows  distinctly  when  the  lines  have  been  filled, 
which  is  very  important.  After  being  sure  that  every 
line  has  received  some  ink,  remove  the  superfluity  from 
the  stone,  and  cover  it  with  gum  water. 

Dabbers  are  used  for  inking  instead  of  the  rollers 
used  in  other  styles  of  lithographic  printing,  and  may  be 
made  as  follows: — Take  two  pieces  of  wood  of  a  con- 
venient size  for  the  stone  to  be  printed,  and  about  two 
inches  thick;  the  underside,  which  must  be  quite  flat, 
should  be  covered  with  the  coarsest  and  thickest  printers' 
blanket,  strained  over  and  tacked  to  the  sides.  Cover  one 
of  them  in  a  similar  way,  and  the  other  with  a  piece  of 
fine  blanket.  Charge  the  coarse  one  well  with  thin  ink, 
and  the  fine  one  with  stiffer  ink,  and  work  it  about  on  the 
slab  until  only  a  small  quantity  remains  on  its  surface, 
and  it  will  be  fit  for  use,  its  office  being  to  clear  the  stone 
of  superfluous  ink. 

Printing. — Damp  the  stone  as  if  for  printing  with  the 
roller.  Take  the  coarse  dabber,  well  charged  with  thin 
ink,  and  apply  it  to  the  stone,  with  pressure  from  the 
shoulders,  at  the  same  time  twisting  it  about  until  the 
stone  is  gone  all  over,  when  the  dabber  may  be  moved 
about  in  circular  strokes  to  remove  some  of  the  super- 
fluous ink.  Putting  this  upon  the  ink-slab,  take  up  the 
fine  dabber,  and  use  that  in  the  circular,  wiping  manner 
only.  The  stone  should  now  be  pretty  free  from  surface- 
ink,  but  a  wipe  with  the  damping  cloth  will  finish  it.  If 
the  stone  becomes  dry,  it  must  again  be  wetted.  After 
the  dabbers  have  been  got  into  working  order,  the  fine 
one  will  effectually  clear  the  stone  without  the  subse- 
quent use  of  the  damping-cloth,  and  will  do  it  more 


186  Practical  Text  Book 

clearly  and  effectually.  The  position  of  the  printer 
should  be  such  as  to  avoid  all  chance  of  any  dirt  falling 
from  the  ceiling,  &c.  The  stone  having  been  fully  inked 
in,  may  be  etched  all  over  with  weak  etching-water,  to 
finally  remove  any  scum  arising  from  the  first  inking, 
and  afterwards  gummed  and  dried. 

The  other  essentials  in  printing  are  an  elastic  backing 
of  printers'  blanket  as  described  under  backing-sheets,  and 
some  damped  paper.  The  printing,  when  all  is  in  working 
order,  may  be  carried  on  nearly  as  quickly  as  when  using 
the  roller.  This  will  be  understood  when  it  is  considered 
that  in  rolling,  the  surface  of  the  roller  in  contact  with 
the  stone  is  successively  lifted  nearly  perpendicularly, 
while  the  action  of  the  fine  dabber  is  almost  exclusively 
a  wiping  one,  and  consequently  leaves  the  ink  in  the  lines. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

ZINCOGRAPHY.     ITS  PRINCIPLES — SCRAPING,  POLISHING, 
AND  GRAINING  THE  PLATES — ETCHING  RECIPES. 

THIS  important  branch  of  the  art  will  require  only  a 
short  chapter,  not  because  we  underrate  its  merits, 
but  because  nearly  all  that  has  been  said  on  drawing  and 
printing  on  stone  is  equally  applicable  to  working  on 
metal  plates,  and  consequently  no  necessity  exists  for  ex- 
tending the  previous  instructions  on  those  points. 

To  those  who  desire  extended  information  on  this 
subject  we  recommend  "Metal  Plate  Printing,"  published 
by  THE  NATIONAL  LITHOGRAPHER,  New  York.  Price  $2 
the  copy. 

The  Principles  of  Zincography  are  almost  identical 
with  those  of  lithography ;  and  all  ordinary  styles  of  draw- 
ing may  be  performed  upon  zinc  plates  instead  of  on 
stone;  the  chief  distinctions  being  that  blacklead  pencil- 
marks  are  apt  to  roll  up  in  printing  and  that  the  two-  and 
three-line  lettering-gauges  used  by  copperplate  engravers 
may  be  used  to  mark  direct  upon  the  zinc.  The  materials 
used  are  the  same,  and  the  'mode  of  printing  is  identical. 
Zinc  plates  have  the  advantage  over  large  stones  in  being 
less  in  first  cost,  and  being  much  more  portable.  Hence, 
they  are  used  very  extensively  in  many  printing  establish- 


188  Practical  Text  Book 

ments  for  a  variety  of  work;  the  chief  among  which,  it 
may  be  mentioned,  are  large  plans  and  wall-advertise- 
ments. As  neither  ink,  crayon,  nor  gum  penetrates  the 
zinc  in  the  same  manner  as  they  do  stone,  the  printing 
is  more  liable  to  accident,  and  requires  great  attention 
and  skill  on  the  part  of  the  printer.  One  very  marked 
difference  between  the  zinc  and  stone,  is  that  the  former 
is  subject  to  oxidation  by  contact  with  a  moist  atmos- 
phere. For  this  reason,  great  care  must  be  exercised  in 
drying  the  plates  off  quickly  after  their  preparation  for 
drawing,  and  during  the  printing,  to  prevent  the  gummy 
preparation  from  being  actually  removed.  The  principle 
difference  in  the  treatment  of  zinc  plates  by  the  printer, 
as  compared  with  lithography,  is  the  substitution  of  in- 
fusion of  nutgalls  for  nitric  and  hydrochloric  acid. 

The  theory  in  brief  is  that  the  drawing-ink  and  chalk 
form  a  metallic  soap  with  the  zinc  plate.  That  this  metal- 
lic soap  has  a  great  affinity  for  the  zinc,  so  that  the  ink  on 
the  roller  has  little  influence  in  pulling  it  off  the  plate. 
That  the  brown  insoluble  compound  produced  by  the 
action  of  the  nut-galls  upon  the  plate,  resists  the  printing- 
ink  in  a  similar  manner  to  the  gum  upon  the  stone.  That 
these  two  opposite  forces  acting  at  the  same  time  enable 
the  printer  to  take  a  larger  number  of  impressions  than 
could  possibly  be  the  case  if  the  only  principle  involved 
was  that  of  the  antipathy  of  grease  and  water. 

Preparation  of  the  Plates. — Zinc  plates  may  be  ob- 
tained ready  polished  or  grained,  of  the  dealers  in  litho- 
graphic materials ;  but  as  their  subsequent  preparation  will 
in  all  probability  have  to  be  done  at  home,  it  will  be  as 
well  to  describe  how  they  may  be  made  ready  for  use 


of  Lithography.  189 

after  being  purchased,  as  they  may  sometimes  have  to  be, 
of  the  metal  dealer. 

The  zinc  should  be  of  the  quality  known  as  "best 
rolled  and  selected"  It  may  be  made  into  convenient 
sizes,  by  cutting  a  groove  with  a  V-pointed  chisel 
and  hammer,  in  the  direction  required,  but  the  cut  must 
be  quite  straight  across  the  whole.  It  is  only  necessary 
to  cut  about  half  through,  when,  by  bringing  the  groove 
just  over  the  edge  of  the  table,  the  plate  may  be  broken 
through  by  a  sudden  pressure  on  the  part  overhanging. 
The  rough  edges  and  corners  may  now  be  taken  off  with 
a  file.  Next,  place  it  on  a  stone  in  the  press,  smoothest 
side  uppermost,  lay  on  a  few  sheets  of  paper,  and  pull 
through  under  heavy  pressure.  If  the  plate  is  found  to 
be  generally  flat,  it  may  still  further  be  tested  by  drawing 
some  pencil-lines  across  the  plate  with  an  HB  lead  pencil. 

If  the  plate  is  fairly  level,  these  lines  will  show  on  the 
paper  when  pulled  through  again.  Convexity  may  be 
remedied  by  putting  some  blanket  or  soft  paper  on  the 
stone,  and  pulling  through  the  press  with  convex  side 
up,  with  light  pressure  first,  increasing  it  gently  until  the 
effect  sought  is  obtained.  If  there  should  be  any  bruises 
in  the  plate,  it  may  be  sent  to  a  coppersmith  to  remedy 
them. 

The  surface  of  the  plate  as  it  comes  from  the  rolling- 
mill  and  as  usually  sold,  is  contaminated  with  scale  and 
oxide,  which  must  be  cleared  off.  This  is  done  by  re- 
moving the  surface  of  the  zinc  by  means  of  a  sharp 
scraper.  The  scraper  used  by  the  cabinetmaker  will 
answer  the  purpose.  It  should  be  set  in  wood  to  get  a 
convenient  "grip"  upon  it,  and  may  best  be  sharpened 


190  Practical  Text  Book 

by  burnishing  its  edge,  holding  the  burnisher  in  such  a 
manner  that  it  may  be  at  a  right  angle  to  the  scraper. 
This  will,  if  properly  done,  produce  a  good  scraping 
edge  on  each  side.  A  tool  that  will  answer  still  better 
may  be  made  of  an  old  smoothing-plane,  the  face  of 
which  has  been  somewhat  removed  at  its  front  part,  so 
as  to  bring  the  knife  more  upright.  The  knife  must  be 
ground  at  a  very  obtuse  angle,  so  as  to  produce  more  of 
a  scraping  than  a  direct,  cutting  action.  If  the  surface 
be  removed  by  this  tool,  it  will  be  done  more  evenly  than 
by  the  other  kind  of  scraper,  because  the  wood  of  the 
plane  prevents  the  knife  sinking  into  any  hollow  places. 
The  plate  having  been  scraped  level  all  over,  is  to  be 
treated  as  described  for  stone  with  pumice  and  snake- 
stone.  However,  unlike  stone,  all  drawings  on  zinc, 
whether  in  ink  or  chalk,  should  be  executed  on  a  grained 
surface,  to  produce  which  proceed  exactly  as  in  graining 
a  stone,  substituting,  however,  a  muller  of  zinc  for  one  of 
stone.  A  plate  about  24  by  18  inches  will  take  a  man  an 
hour  or  more  to  grain  because  the  zinc  is  less  easily 
abraded  than  the  stone.  When  the  plate  is  done,  wash 
it  well,  finish  with  hot  water,  and  rear  it  up  to  dry  off 
quickly,  so  as  to  prevent  corrosion. 

Printing  from  Zinc. — The  drawing  having  been  done 
precisely  in  the  manner  described  in  our  chapters  on 
drawing  on  stone,  is  handed  to  the  printer,  who  etches 
it  by  applying  the  following  mixture  with  a  flat  camel- 
hair  brush: 

Decoction  of  nut-galls 24  pint 

Solution  of  gum  (thickness  of  cream)  . .   %  pint 
Solution  phosphoric  acid 3  drachms 


of  Lithography.  191 

letting  it  stay  on  half  a  minute  or  more,  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  work.  To  make  the  decoction  of  nut-galls, 
steep  4  oz.  in  3  quarts  of  water  for  24  hours,  and  then 
boil  up  and  strain. 

To  make  the  solution  of  phosphoric  acid,  put  some 
sticks  of  phosphorus  into  a  bottle,  taking  care  not  to 
handle  them  with  the  fingers.  Pour  water  upon  them, 
but  not  quite  sufficient  to  cover  them.  Close  the  bottle 
with  a  cork  having  a  notch  cut  out  of  its  side  to  admit 
air.  Set  the  bottle  aside  for  a  few  days,  and  the  air  will 
oxidize  the  phosphorus,  making  phosphoric  acid,  which 
will  be  dissolved  by  the  water,  and  the  solution  in  that 
time  will  be  strong  enough  for  use. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

CYLINDER  PRESS  PRINTING — THE  SELECTION  AND  CARE 
OF  A  PRESS — INKING  AND  DAMPING  ROLLERS — THE 
CYLINDER  AND  ITS  COVERING. 

WE  would  especially  direct  the  attention  of  the 
young  printer  to  this  branch  of  lithographic 
printing,  because  of  its  daily  increasing  importance, 
as  machinery  is  now  being  generally  acknowledged 
to  be  equal,  under  proper  management,  to  the  de- 
mands of  very  excellent  work  either  in  black  or 
colors.  Young  men  of  intelligence  whose  minds  are 
open  to  the  reception  of  new  ideas  should  pay 
great  attention  to  this  department  of  lithography,  and 
should  omit  no  opportunity  to  qualify  themselves  for  any 
opening  that  may  occur,  because  machinery  has  come  so 
rapidly  into  use  that  the  number  of  trained  lithographic 
pressmen  is  very  far  below  the  actual  requirements  of  the 
business.  Hence,  when  a  machine  is  newly  introduced 
into  an  office,  it  is  frequently  found  necessary  to  take  a 
printer  fresh  from  the  hand-press  and  place  him  in  the 
position  of  manager  of  a  delicate  and  complicated  piece 
of  mechanism,  with  the  principles  of  which  he  has  no 
acquaintance  whatever.  To  some  men  who  have  a  me- 
chanical aptitude  the  change  is  novel  and  agreeable,  and 
provided  that  they  have  mastered  the  theory  as  well  as 


of  Lithography.  193 

the  practice  of  lithography,  they  probably  soon  develop 
into  competent  pressmen.  On  the  other  hand,  the  newly 
appointed  pressman  may  have  been  chosen  merely  because 
he  was  a  good  hand-printer,  and  may  have  no  mechanical 
proclivities.  Such  a  man  will  most  likely  soon  feel  that 
he  has  had  a  responsibility  placed  upon  him  for  which 
he  is  unsuited  and  will  wish  himself  back  at  his  hand 
press.  To  men  placed  in  this  position  our  instructions 
will,  we  hope,  be  of  much  use ;  while  they  may  materially 
help  others  upon  whom  the  necessity  has  not  actually 
been  imposed  of  adapting  themselves  to  a  novel  and  un- 
accustomed calling,  yet  who  are  animated  by  a  desire — 
and  a  very  honorable  and  worthy  one — of  understanding 
every  branch  and  not  merely  one  department  of  their 
business.  A  great  living  author  and  statesman  has  said 
that  the  true  secret  of  "getting  on"  in  the  world  is  to  be 
ready  and  qualified  for  an  opportunity  of  advancement 
whenever  that  opportunity  presents  itself;  and  an  ex- 
emplification of  the  truth  of  the  remark  is  seen  in  every 
large  establishment.  The  man  who  "gets  on"  is  he  who 
knows  something  more  than  his  actual  routine  of  work 
demands,  and  who  is  conscious  that  if  his  employer  set 
him  a  little  higher  he  would  be  capable  of  occupying 
the  place.  There  are  printers  at  press  who  think  that 
because  they  have  always  made  a  living  hitherto,  and 
most  probably  will  do  the  same  in  the  future,  the  acquire- 
ment of  any  further  technical  knowledge  is  quite  un- 
necessary and  superfluous. 

Having  selected  his  cylinder  press,  the  lithographer 
requires  to  know  how  to  make  the  most  of  it,  or,  in  other 
words,  how  to  keep  it  in  the  best  working  condition.  We 

13 


194  Practical  Text  Book 

would  point  out,  in  the  first  place,  that  great  and  un- 
ceasing attention  must  be  paid  to  oiling  it  and  keeping  it 
thoroughly  clean.  It  should  be  the  pride  of  every  press- 
man not  only  that  his  press  should  look  clean,  but  that  it 
be  clean.  It  is  quite  possible  for  it  to  look  well  and  yet 
be  really  very  dirty  in  the  parts  less  in  sight. 

The  temperature  of  the  printing  room  should  also  be 
taken  into  consideration  in  the  intelligent  employment 
of  lubricants.  It  is  not  saying  too  much  to  assert  that  a 
press  will  last  many  years  longer  when  good  oil  is  used 
than  when  bad  is  employed,  so  that  there  is  no  advantage 
in  using  the  latter  because  it  is  low  in  price. 

When  a  press  is  bought  new  it  will  not  entail  much 
trouble  to  preserve  its  good  looks.  When  it  is  standing 
still,  either  from  want  of  work,  the  setting  of  the  stone, 
or  scraping  of  the  rollers,  the  boys  should  be  instructed 
to  rub  up  the  bright  parts  and  wipe  away  the  superfluous 
oil.  At  least  once  a  week  this  should  be  more  thoroughly 
done,  giving  special  attention  to  the  working  parts  that 
are  out  of  sight.  As  often  as  the  work  will  allow,  but 
at  least  once  in  three  months,  the  press  should  be  well 
cleaned  in  every  part.  Good  oil  will  much  facilitate  these 
cleanings,  and  such  attention  as  we  are  recommending  will 
cause  a  machine  to  work  much  easier  than  a  badly  kept 
one. 

As  a  rule,  too,  it  may  be  truly  said,  that  a  well-kept 
press  is  prima  facie  evidence  that  good  work  is  turned 
out  from  it  and  that  a  good  man  has  control  of  it. 

When  a  machine  is  newly  erected  it  frequently  hap- 
pens that  the  vibration  in  working  causes  some  of  the 
nuts  and  screws  to  become  loose;  it  is  very  essential, 


of  Lithography.  195 

therefore,  that  the  pressman  should  try  them  occasionally 
until  he  finds  from  experience  that  they  keep  to  their 
work. 

The  Inking  Rollers, — These,  when  new,  require  a  pre- 
vious preparation  of  the  same  kind  as  hand-rollers.  They 
may  have  rubbed  into  them  either  tallow,  lard,  or  olive 
oil,  which,  after  having  saturated  the  skin,  is  to  be  well 
cleaned  off  by  scraping.  The  rollers  are  next  to  be 
placed  in  the  machine,  which  must  be  set  running  after 
they  have  received  a  supply  of  medium  varnish.  After 
running  some  hours  the  varnish  must  be  scraped  off,  new 
supplied,  and  the  machine  put  in  motion  again.  It  will 
be  found,  upon  trying  it  with  the  palette  knife,  that  the 
new  leather  has  altered  the  character  of  the  varnish, 
making  it  less  liable  to  separate  from  the  rollers.  When 
this  effect  ceases  to  be  produced  the  varnish  may  be 
thoroughly  scraped  off,  its  place  supplied  with  printing 
ink,  and  the  rollers  tried  first  upon  a  heavy  job. 

The  Damping  Rollers. — If  the  stocks  of  these  are 
made  of  iron,  care  should  be  taken  to  cover  them  with 
some  waterproof  substance,  such  as  red  lead  paint,  india- 
rubber  varnish,  oilcloth,  American  leather,  or  any  other 
convenient  material.  They  are  then  usually  supplied  with 
several  folds  of  soft  flannel,  or  some  thick,  soft  felt, 
brought  to  join  neatly  without  overlapping.  The  best 
thing  of  this  class,  however,  is  the  fine  india-rubber 
covered  felt  known  by  the  name  of  spangeo-piline.  The 
roller  must  be  covered  outside  with  some  cotton  or  linen 
fabric.  Canvas,  a  cotton  material  called  swansdown, 
velveteen,  and  another  named  moleskin,  are  all  in  use, 
but  we  have  a  decided  preference  for  the  latter. 

In  regard  to  the  general  treatment  of  damping  rollers, 


196  Practical  Text  Book 

they  should  be  taken  out  of  the  machine  every  evening 
and  set  up  on  end,  which  will  keep  them  in  working  con- 
dition better  than  leaving  them  in  the  machine.  At  this 
time  they  should  be  examined  to  see  if  they  have  accumu- 
lated any  ink  upon  them,  and  if  they  have  it  should  be 
at  once  removed  by  turpentine  or  benzoline. 

The  Cylinder  and  Its  Covering. — With  an  ordinary 
blanket  the  cylinder  will  soon  deteriorate,  owing  to  the 
formation  of  rust,  unless  means  be  used  to  prevent  it,  and 
we  recommend  the  following:  Wash  the  surface  of  the 
iron  with  turpentine  to  remove  grease,  and  then  intro- 
duce some  kind  of  gas  arrangement  by  which  the  cylinder 
may  be  heated.  The  cylinder  having  a  considerable 
weight,  it  will  take  a  good  while  to  get  the  metal  warm, 
and  a  quantity  of  moisture  will  collect  inside  from  the 
products  of  combustion,  but  that  will  be  expelled  as  the 
iron  gets  hot.  The  surface  may  now  be  thinly  and  evenly 
painted  with  a  mixture  of  red  lead,  drying  oil,  and 
Brunswick  black  or  copal  varnish.  This  will  soon  dry 
hard  and  prevent  the  moisture,  which  penetrates  the 
blanket,  attacking  the  iron. 

A  fine,  but  thick,  or  treble-milled  printer's  blanket  may 
be  used  for  covering  the  cylinder.  For  small  machines  a 
finer  and  thinner  blanket  may  be  used,  because  less  varia- 
tion in  the  surface  of  the  stone  may  be  expected  when  it 
is  small.  The  more  true  the  surface  of  the  cylinder  and 
stone  are,  the  less  necessity  is  there  for  thick  blanket.  If 
they  were  perfect,  all  that  would  be  necessary  would  be 
something  to  prevent  the  stone  and  cylinder  touching  in 
those  parts  not  covered  by  the  paper;  but  as  this  per- 
fection cannot  be  attained  in  practice,  an  elastic  surface  of 
appreciable  thickness  is  required  for  the  cylinder. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

PREPARATION  OF  THE  STONE — PREPARATION  OF  THE 
WORK — ETCHING  FOR  MACHINE  PRINTING — INKING 
— DISTRIBUTION  —  REFRESHENING  THE  ROLLER'S 
SURFACE — QUALITY  OF  INK — How  TO  REDUCE  THE 
TENACITY  OF  INK — SETTING  THE  STONE. 

HAVING  selected  his  press,  and  got  the  rollers  and 
the   cylinder   into   proper   order,    the    printer    is 
ready  to  begin  the  actual  working  of  it.     The  first  thing 
to  be  attended  to  is  the  preparation  of  the  stone. 

The  stone-grinder  should  remember,  when  preparing 
a  stone  for  the  machine,  that  the  printer  cannot  adapt 
his  cylinder  to  its  surface,  as  is  frequently  done  at  hand- 
press,  by  means  of  a  scraper.  Every  care,  therefore, 
must  be  taken  to  have  the  stone  true  (back  as  well  as 
front),  more  especially  in  the  direction  of  the  stone's 
length,  because  that  is  the  way  in  which  the  cylinder 
is  applied  to  it.  Its  two  longer  edges  must  also  be  not 
only  well  rounded,  but  stand  fairly  the  test  of  the  straight- 
edge along  the  rounded  part.  If  this  be  not  attended  to 
the  paper  will  be  liable  to  crease.  We  know  that  the 
paper  will  sometimes  crease  from  other  causes,  but  this, 
is  one  that  is  sometimes  overlooked.  The  stone  is  easily 
tested  by  a  straight-edge,  which  should  hold  a  piece  of 
ordinary  post  paper  when  applied  at  any  part  between  it 
and  the  stone.  Besides  the  general  evenness  of  surface, 


198  Practical  Text  Book 

the  stone  should  be  well  polished,  for  it  then  not  only 
receives  the  drawing  or  transfer  more  perfectly,  but  is 
less  liable  in  printing  to  catch  the  ink  in  those  places 
which  are  intended  to  receive  none. 

Preparation  of  the  Work. — Before  a  drawing  or  trans- 
fer is  put  upon  the  stone  for  machine  printing,  the  size 
of  the  paper  on  which  it  is  to  be  printed  should  be 
determined.  The  width  of  paper  to  be  held  by  the  gripper 
should  then  be  ascertained,  and  a  little  more  than  that 
width  should  be  allowed  to  project  over  the  edge,  so  that 
the  gripper  shall  not  come  in  contact  with  the  stone, 
which,  if  allowed  to  occur,  would  roughen  it,  remove  the 
gum,  and  cause  it  at  that  part  to  accumulate  ink  from  the 
rollers. 

Etching  for  Cylinder  Press  Printing. — It  is  usual  for 
cylinder  press  printers,  previously  to  printing  at  the  ma- 
chine, to  etch  the  work  into  relief,  in  the  following  man- 
ner: After  cleaning  the  work  sufficiently,  ink  it  up 
strongly  but  clearly,  and  dust  it  with  finely  powdered 
resin  or  bronze  powder,  but  preferably  with  resin;  etch 
with  dilute  nitric  acid,  sufficiently  tart  to  produce  a  pretty 
brisk  effervescence ;  ink  again,  and  repeat  the  dusting  and 
etching  for  a  second  and  a  third  time.  It  must  not  be 
understood  that  we  recommend  this  process  to  be  carried 
far  enough  to  produce  any  considerable  amount  of  relief. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  a  printer  used  to  the  work  would 
produce  sufficient  with  one  dusting  and  etching;  but  the 
beginner  is  asked  to  err  on  the  right  side  by  giving  the 
work  plenty  of  resin.  If  too  much  relief  be  given,  an 
impression  will  probably  occur  from  the  sides  of  the  lines 
as  well  as  from  their  tops,  and  the  work  will  have  a 


of  Lithography.  199 

thicker  appearance  than  if  only  etched  in  the  manner 
usual  for  hand-printing.  The  etching  having  been 
finished,  the  resin  must  be  removed  as  follows:  Wash 
off  all  trace  of  the  acid,  gum  in,  and  remove  the  ink  and 
resin  with  turpentine  to  which  some  oil,  transfer  ink  or 
other  fatty  matter  has  been  added.  This  is  very  impor- 
tant, because,  as  a  rule,  the  work  has  been  newly  trans- 
ferred or  drawn  on  the  stone,  and  sufficient  time  has  not 
been  given  for  the  subject  to  take  firm  hold  of  it,  and, 
under  such  circumstances,  there  is  great  risk  in  using  tur- 
pentine alone.  For  the  same  reason  it  is  important  that 
the  sponge  and  cloth  used  previously  to  re-inking  should 
be  quite  clean  and  free  from  any  trace  of  acid  or  sour 
gum.  The  stone  must  now  be  re-inked,  gummed  and 
dried,  and  is  then  ready  for  working. 

Inking. — This  process  naturally  divides  itself  into 
three  parts — I,  the  distribution;  2,  the  refreshening  of 
the  surface  of  the  rollers  by  means  of  the  "riders" ;  3,  the 
quantity  and  properties  of  the  ink.  We  will  treat  of  these 
in  regular  order. 

Distribution. — By  this  term  is  to  be  understood  the 
spreading  of  the  ink  in  an  even  manner  over  the  surface 
of  the  ink-table  and  the  rollers.  Some  patented  machines 
have  special  contrivances  for  this  purpose,  of  more  or  less 
practical  use,  but  there  are  tolerably  efficient  means  com- 
mon to  all  machines  which  must  be  mentioned  here.  The 
principal  distribution  is  effected  by  setting  two  or  more 
rollers  obliquely  across  the  machine,  so  that  when  the  ink- 
table  passes  beneath  them  they  will  roll  over  it  in  a  diag- 
onal direction,  and  by  setting  them  to  run  opposite  ways, 
the  distribution  is  doubled. 


200  Practical  Text  Book 

The  refreshening  of  the  surface  of  the  roller  is 
effected  by  the  riders  before  mentioned.  When  the  roller 
passes  over  the  wet  stone,  it  becomes  much  smoother  on 
its  surface,  and  somewhat  damp,  which  would  in  a  degree 
render  it  less  effective  in  leaving  its  ink  upon  the  drawing 
in  the  next  revolution,  but  as  soon  as  it  comes  in  contact 
with  the  upper  roller  this  glazing  is  destroyed. 

The  quality  of  the  ink  to  be  used  for  any  given  job 
will  depend  upon  various  circumstances,  which  the 
printer  must  duly  take  into  account.  The  chief  elements 
in  the  calculation  are  quality  of  paper,  speed  of  machine, 
quantity  of  ink  requisite  for  each  impression. 

As  a  general  rule,  the  greater  the  speed  at  which  the 
rollers  run,  the  less  tenacious  must  be  the  ink.  The 
pressman  must  here  be  cautioned  against  confounding 
this  speed  of  the  rollers  or  table  with  the  number  of 
impressions  printed  in  a  given  time;  it  only  corresponds 
in  the  same  or  nearly  similar  sized  machines.  If  one 
machine  has  a  traverse  of  six  feet  for  its  table,  and 
another  four  feet,  and  both  are  printing  500  per  hour, 
the  rollers  of  the  former  will  be  running  at  the  rate  of 
100  feet  per  minute,  while  the  speed  of  the  latter  will  be 
only  about  66  feet  in  the  same  time.  This  may  be  taken 
only  as  a  general  proposition,  because  the  amount  of 
water  used  in  damping  must  also  be  taken  into  consid- 
eration. We  may,  however,  embody  this  in  another 
proposition:  The  more  water  is  used  for  the  purpose  of 
damping  the  stone,  the  thinner  and  more  greasy  may  the 
ink  be. 

How  to  Reduce  the  Tenacity  of  Ink. — Without  speci- 
fying in  this  place  the  circumstances  under  which  thin 


of  Lithography.  201 

ink  is  to  be  used,  we  will  give  the  modes  by  which  the 
tenacity  of  ink  generally  may  be  reduced. 

First.  By  thin  varnish.  We  must,  however,  be  cau- 
tious not  to  add  too  much  to  the  ink,  or  the  impressions 
will  be  pale  when  a  proper  amount  is  used  on  the  rollers, 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  if  sufficient  of  such  thin  ink  be 
employed  to  yield  black  impressions,  they  will  be  so  over- 
charged as  to  be  blurred;  the  close  parts  will  run  to- 
gether, and  the  work  will  easily  set  off  when  a  few  sheets 
are  placed  upon  each  other.  To  combine  thinness  with 
depth  of  color,  we  may  add: 

Second.    Oil,  either  raw  or  boiled. 

Third.  The  addition  of  certain  solid  fatty  matters  will 
render  the  ink  less  tenacious  or  stringy  without  increasing 
its  fluidity.  The  main  object  is  to  make  the  ink  part 
readily  from  the  roller  to  the  stone  at  an  increased  speed, 
and  as  some  solid  fatty  matters  are  found  to  effect  this 
without  thinning  the  ink,  they  answer  some  kinds  of 
printing  better  than  the  softer  and  thinner  materials. 

The  less  water  used  in  damping  the  stone,  the  stronger 
and  stiffer  may  be  the  ink.  Though  this  may  be  remem- 
bered as  a  general  rule,  yet  it  not  to  be  forgotten  that  the 
circumstances  of  speed,  and  the  nature  of  the  paper  and 
the  subject,  must  also  be  taken  into  account. 

Setting  the  Stone  in  the  Press. — When  care  is  exer- 
cised in  putting  the  work  on  the  stone,  scarcely  any  alter- 
ation is  needed  in  fixing  the  front  stop  for  different 
stones ;  but  should  any  be  required,  the  way  to  do  it  will 
be  obvious.  For  bringing  the  stone  approximately  to  the 
proper  height,  some  machines  are  provided  by  the  makers 
with  a  gauge  to  be  set  across  the  table,  and  to  this  gauge 


202  Practical  Text  Book 

the  stone  is  raised  before  being  tried  by  taking  an  impres- 
sion. 

If  the  stone  is  found  uneven,  packing  must  be  resorted 
to,  as  in  the  hand-press. 

Starting  the  Press:  Inking. — When  the  press  will  not 
permit  of  the  rollers  being  set  so  as  to  run  upon  the  ink- 
table  while  they  do  not  touch  the  stone,  the  stone  should 
be  lowered  in  its  bed,  or  taken  out  of  the  press  while 
they  are  being  prepared  for  inking ;  or  the  inking  may  be 
seen  to  before  the  stone  is  put  in  the  machine.  After  the 
rollers  have  been  scraped,  a  little  ink  may  be  applied  to 
the  wavers  or  distributors,  and  the  machine  set  running 
until  it  is  properly  distributed  over  all  the  rollers.  Though 
nearly  all  presses  are  supplied  with  an  ink  duct,  the  be- 
ginner is  recommended  to  apply  his  ink  in  the  same  man- 
ner until  he  has  mastered  the  working  of  the  machine  in 
a  sufficiently  general  manner  as  to  be  able  to  turn  out  a 
fair  quality  of  work.  This  will  be  facilitated  by  moving 
the  distributors  about  and  turning  them  end  for  end. 

Damping. — The  damping  rollers  have  already  been 
described,  and  we  have  now  to  speak  of  the  actual  wet- 
ting of  the  stone  when  printing. 

Some  presses  are  provided  with  arrangements  for 
damping  that  are  intended  to  be  more  or  less  automatic, 
but  however  perfect  they  may  be  they  will  always  require 
attention. 

After  the  damping  rollers  have  become  dry,  care  must 
be  taken  that  the  newly  applied  water  penetrates  them 
thoroughly  before  proceeding  to  print. 

The  degree  of  damping  will  greatly  depend  on  the 
kind  of  ink  in  use.  The  machine  minder  will  find  it  nee- 


of  Lithography.  203 

essary  to  watch  the  work,  sponge  in  hand,  and  to  apply 
the  water  where  most  wanted,  which  is  usually  at  the 
edges,  and  sides,  and  occasionally  to  sponge  the  damping 
slab,  or  rollers,  so  as  to  keep  up  the  supply. 

The  proper  regulation  of  the  water  is  more  difficult 
than  that  of  the  ink. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

PROPER  CHOICE  OF  PAPER — REGISTERING — SETTING  A 
STONE  FOR  REGISTER — COLOR  PRINTING — COMPO- 
SITION AND  GLAZED  ROLLERS — THE  INK-DUCT— 
DEFECTS  IN  INK-DUCTS. 

INTIMATELY  connected  with  the  subject  of  cylinder- 
press  printing  is  that  of  the  proper  qualities  and  de- 
scriptions of  paper  to  be  used,  and  we  may  advantageous- 
ly devote  a  few  paragraphs  to  it.  We  may  say  at  the  out- 
set that  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  clerks  and  travelers  who 
take  orders  for  printing  do  not  make  themselves  better 
acquainted  with  the  fitness  of  papers  for  the  various 
kinds  of  work.  The  proper  choice  of  paper  in  many 
instances  makes  all  the  difference  between  good  and  bad 
printing,  and  a  suggestion  from  the  person  who  is  taking 
the  order  would,  we  think,  be  generally  favorably  enter- 
tained. 

Writing,  drawing,  loan  or  other  hard-made  English- 
sized  papers  should  never  be  used  for  printing  upon  when 
beauty  of  impression  is  the  chief  consideration.  The  use 
of  such  papers  should  be  restricted  to  note,  letter  and 
invoice  heading  and  other  similar  work,  in  which  the 
appearance  of  the  printing  is  secondary  to  its  use  for 
writing  upon. 

To  produce  the  best  printing,  the  paper  must  be 
somewhat  absorbent,  and  that  is  the  well-known  character 


of  Lithography.  205 

of  printing  and  plate  papers,  the  latter  being  still  less 
sized  than  the  former.  If  a  good  printing  paper  be  well 
glazed,  it  will  resemble  writing  paper  sufficiently  to  be 
used  for  circulars  and  such-like  work,  and  will  take  a 
much  better  impression  than  can  be  got  upon  the  harder 
sized  material,  while  it  will  bear  writing  upon  well  enough 
for  all  ordinary  purposes  of  adding  names,  prices,  etc. 

Now,  suppose  a  smooth,  hard-sized  writing  paper  is 
to  be  printed,  let  us  study  the  circumstances :  First.  Too 
much  water  must  not  be  used,  or  the  surface  will  be 
injured.  Second.  The  minimum  quantity  of  ink  that 
will  produce  blackness  must  only  be  employed,  so  as  to 
prevent  the  setting  off  to  which  such  paper  is  very  liable, 
and  to  facilitate  the  drying.  Strong  and  medium  var- 
nishes will  print  cleanly  on  slightly  damped  stones,  but 
would  not  do  for  this  purpose  because  too  much  ink  would 
then  be  required  for  the  kind  of  paper  we  are  supposing 
to  be  used.  The  ink  must  therefore  be  thinned  as  little 
as  possible  with  weak  varnish,  or  even  oil,  with  a  little 
dryers,  and  the  machine  be  run  at  such  a  speed  as  will 
permit  of  such  ink  being  used,  when,  with  proper  man- 
agement, good  work  will  be  produced. 

Such  being  the  principles  involved  in  working  hard- 
sized  paper,  it  is  not  difficult  to  comprehend  what  is  to  be 
done  when  the  paper  is  more  absorbent,  and  the  following 
general  rule  gives  the  key  to  the  whole:  The  more  ab- 
sorbent the  paper  is,  the  more  water  and  ink  may  be  used, 
the  thinner  the  ink  may  be,  and  consequently  the  higher 
may  be  the  speed  of  the  machine. 

Registering  at  a  good  press  can  be  performed  with 
greater  facility  and  exactitude  than  at  hand-press,  when 


206  Practical  Text  Book 

once  the  stone  is  properly  set;  but  to  insure  success  it. 
must  be  driven  at  a  moderate  and  uniform  speed,  and  the 
stone  be  so  beveled  on  the  edge  that  first  meets  the  cylin- 
der that  it  may  cause  no  jolting  or  other  motion  tending 
to  move  either  out  of  its  place. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  overestimate  the  importance 
of  register  in  lithographic  machine  printing,  and  any  sug- 
gestions which  are  likely  to  be  of  assistance  to  the  printer 
in  this  matter  will  no  doubt  be  welcomed. 

Variable  atmospheric  conditions,  insufficiently  ma- 
tured paper  or  constitutional  defects  in  the  machine  are 
frequent  sources  of  inaccurate  register.  These  may  be 
to  some  extent  unavoidable  and  therefore  beyond  the 
printer's  control,  but  there  are  numerous  other  points 
which  have  an  important  bearing  upon  the  accurate  fitting 
of  one  color  or  form  with  another,  and  therefore  re- 
quire care  and  attention.  The  following  method  of  pro- 
cedure is  well  worth  consideration,  as  it  has  decided  ad- 
vantages over  many  others: 

The  key,  or  outline  form,  to  which  the  color  forms 
have  been  set  up,  is  put  into  the  machine  at  the  beginning 
of  the  printing  operations.  The  exact  position  of  the 
design  on  the  sheet  is  arranged,  and  twenty  or  thirty 
impressions  taken  on  a  reliable  paper.  With  these  im- 
pressions as  a  guide,  it  is  a  comparatively  easy  matter 
to  register  each  color  accurately.  This  effects  a  saving 
both  in  time  and  material,  and  rarely  fails  to  produce 
satisfactory  results.  During  the  early  stages  of  the 
printing,  when  it  is  difficult  to  detect  any  slight  movement 
of  the  stone  in  the  machine,  a  sheet  bearing  an  impres- 
sion of  the  key  may  be  printed  in  the  usual  way,  when 


of  Lithography.  207 

any  variation  in  register  will  be  revealed  at  a  glance. 
The  relative  positions  of  the  side  lay  and  gripper  seldom 
receive  the  consideration  they  ought  to  have.  The  gripper 
and  side  lay  should  be  exactly  at  right  angles  to  each 
other,  and  any  divergence  whatever  from  this  rule  simply 
courts  disaster.  If  they  form  an  acute  angle,  there  is 
danger  of  the  sheet  moving  forward  a  little  as  the  gripper 
closes.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  they  are  fixed  at  an  obtuse 
angle,  there  is  a  proportionate  risk  of  the  sheet  falling 
back  as  the  gripper  closes.  If  any  degree  of  uniformity 
could  be  guaranteed  in  these  movements,  then  all  would 
still  be  well,  but  unfortunately  no  such  guarantee  can  be 
given,  owing  to  a  possible  variation  in  the  cutting  of  dif- 
ferent batches  of  paper. 

Another  matter  of  a  similar  character  and  quite  as 
important  in  its  issues  is  more  directly  connected  with  the 
gripper. 

The  continuous  type  of  gripper  is  probably  the  best 
for  general  use.  It  enables  the  printer  to  use  two  or 
more  pins  upon  which  to  rest  his  sheet,  according  to  the 
particular  requirements  of  his  work.  Two  pins  are 
usually  sufficient,  and  answer  best,  for  the  following 
reasons :  It  is  by  no  means  unusual  to  find  that  the  paper, 
trimmed  though  it  may  be,  has  slightly  convex  or  concave 
edges,  owing  either  to  insufficient  damping  or  an  inaccu- 
rate setting  of  the  knife  in  the  guillotine  cutting  machine. 
This  can,  of  course,  be  avoided,  but  the  point  at  present 
under  consideration  is  one  of  possible  effects. 

Setting  a  Stone  for  Register. — Take  a  straight,  wide, 
but  thin  piece  of  metal  long  enough  to  rest  on  the  racks  of 
the  table ;  through  each  end  and  into  a  tooth  of  each  rack 


208  Practical  Text  Book 

drill  a  small  hole.  To  each  hole  of  the  metal  strip  fasten 
a  pin  to  just  fit  the  hole  in  the  tooth  of  the  rack.  It 
should  now  be  easy  to  set  this  strip  accurately  to  these 
holes  at  any  time,  and  if  register  marks  be  put  upon  the 
stone  to  correspond  to  the  edge  of  this  rule,  the  stone 
may  be  rapidly  adjusted  in  register  without  taking  an 
impression. 

Color  Printing:  Rollers. — In  color  printing  one  of  the 
most  essential  conditions  is  clean  rollers,  and  one  of  the 
best  means  of  obtaining  them  is  to  have  two  sets  (besides 
the  black  ones),  one  set  being  kept  for  tints  and  another 
for  the  stronger  and  darker  colors.  When  there  is  much 
color  work  done,  we  should  even  recommend  three  sets, 
as  it  would  be  very  advantageous  to  keep  one  for  yellow, 
red  and  orange  tints,  and  another  for  dark  blue,  green, 
purple  and  the  tertiary  colors. 

Washable  Rollers. — Attempts  have  from  time  to  time 
been  made  to  manufacture  rollers  for  lithographic  print- 
ing having  the  advantages  of  the  composition  of  glue, 
treacle,  etc.,  used  by  letterpress  printers,  and  thus  making 
one  set  do  for  all  purposes ;  but  on  account  of  the  soluble 
nature  of  the  materials  much  difficulty  has  been  experi- 
enced in  making  them  work  upon  the  wet  stone. 

Glazed  rollers  are  much  used  on  cylinder  presses,  and 
may  be  prepared  for  such  use  in  a  similar  manner  to 
hand-rollers.  After  the  drying  ink  has  been  well  dis- 
tributed upon  them,  the  riders  (if  used)  are  to  be  taken 
off  them,  and  the  rollers  run  over  a  wet  stone  until  they 
become  nicely  smooth ;  they  are  then  allowed  to  dry,  after 
which  the  operation  may  be  repeated,  alternately  rolling 
them  up  and  drying  them  until  they  are  quite  smooth 
upon  the  surface. 


of  Lithography.  209 

The  Ink-duct. — There  is  great  difference  of  opinion 
among  lithographic  machinists  as  to  the  value  of  the  ink- 
duct.  We  think  their  non-use  may  be  traced  to  three 
causes :  First,  the  printer  does  not  like  to  grind  a  large 
quantity  of  ink,  to  add  dryers  which  prevent  its  keeping, 
and  then  have  to  throw  the  unused  portion  away ;  second, 
a  want  of  mechanical  knowledge  of  the  capabilities  of  this 
part  of  the  press,  and  a  lack  of  delicacy  in  regulating  the 
adjusting  screws;  third,  faulty  construction  of  the  mech- 
anism. 

Defects  in  Ink-ducts. — Passing  over  causes  No.  i  and 
No.  2,  we  have  something  to  say  as  to  No.  3.  The  ink- 
duct  may  be  faulty  by  reason  of  the  knife  not  fitting  the 
ink-cylinder,  but  this  may  be  cured  by  grinding  the  knife. 
The  greatest  fault,  however,  is  that  of  the  ink-cylinder 
being  kept  constantly  running,  as  it  is  in  some  machines. 

Speed,  as  has  already  been  pointed  out,  is  a  very  im- 
portant factor  in  lithographic  machine  printing.  It  has 
become  quite  a  necessity,  and  everything  which  conduces 
to  it  should  receive  the  most  careful  consideration. 
Economy  of  power  is  too  seldom  regarded  as  a  standard 
of  efficiency  in  the  printer.  At  any  rate,  as  far  as  this 
is  concerned  it  is  doubtful  if  he  fully  realizes  the  effect 
of  what  may  appear  to  him  as  insignificant  matters.  A 
little  pressure  more  or  less  on  the  stone  may  be  in  itself 
a  mere  trifle ;  so  also  would  be  a  careless  arrangement  of 
the  inking  rollers  or  indiscriminate  damping  of  the  stones, 
yet,  when  taken  together,  what  a  considerable  waste  of 
power  they  might  cause — a  waste  which  is  altogether  un- 
necessary and  could  easily  be  obviated  by  care  and  fore- 
thought. Excessive  pressure  is  frequently  resorted  to  in 

14 


210  Practical  Text  Book 

order  to  "bring  up"  an  impression  which  is  defective 
owing  to  some  error  of  judgment  in  its  preparation.  It 
undoubtedly  secures  the  desired  effect,  but  at  what  a  cost! 
There  is  a  proportionately  heavier  drag  on  the  machine 
and  a  greater  strain  on  its  most  vital  parts.  The  follow- 
ing view  of  this  matter  may  be  regarded  as  somewhat 
exaggerated,  but  it  is  by  no  means  an  uncommon  state  of 
affairs,  and  will  at  least  serve  to  emphasize  the  impor- 
tance of  this  point:  It  is  a  popular  fallacy  to  suppose 
that  in  adjusting  the  litho.  stone  to  the  bed  of  the  print- 
ing machine  it  should  be  made  perfectly  level.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  a  much  easier  and  more  satisfactory  im- 
pression can  be  made  from  a  stone  which  is  worked  just 
a  little  higher  at  the  front  or  gripper  edge  than  at  the 
back,  and  for  this  reason:  The  drag  on  the  cylinder  as 
it  makes  the  impression  is  appreciably  greater  at  the  back 
than  at  the  front,  and  when  the  pressure  is  heavy  it  has 
a  tendency  to  leave  the  back  edge  with  a  very  decided 
jerk.  The  remedy  is  obvious  and  simple.  As  already 
suggested,  the  stone  should  be  set  in  the  machine  with 
the  least  possible  inclination  toward  the  front.  This  ad- 
justment is  easily  effected  by  a  judicious  arrangement  of 
a  few  layers  of  brown  paper.  Just  think  for  a  moment 
of  the  effect  likely  to  be  produced  by  such  a  jerk  or  jar, 
which  would  under  ordinary  working  conditions  occur 
from  twelve  to  fourteen  times  per  minute  while  the  ma- 
chine was  in  motion! 

We  think  we  have  now  given  nearly  all  the  informa- 
tion on  this  subject  that  can  be  conveyed  by  means  of 
writing.  For  the  rest,  we  recommend  practice,  study  and 
perseverance ;  and  with  these  may  be  built  up  a  valuable 
experience. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
MISCELLANEOUS  PROCESSES  AND  RECIPES. 

SOAP  as  a  Lithographic  Material. — Soap  consists 
of  an  alkali  in  combination  with  a  fatty 
acid.  The  alkalies  used  in  soap  manufacture  are 
soda,  potash  and  ammonia;  the  acids  are  chiefly 
oleic,  stearic,  palmitic  and  margaric.  Soda  forms 
the  "hard"  soap;  potash,  the  "sweet"  or  soft  soap; 
and  ammonia,  the  kind  of  soap  used  in  medicine,  tech- 
nically called  liniment.  Soda  soaps  will  vary  in  hard- 
ness according  to  the  acid  employed.  Stearic  and  mar- 
garic acids  yield  harder  soaps  than  the  oleic  and  palmitic. 
Soap,  although  it  is  of  so  much  importance,  is  one  of  the 
least  reliable  compounds  which  the  lithographer  has  to 
use.  Best  white  or  yellow  is  what  we  employ.  Seeing 
that  soap  may  by  dextrous  management  be  made  to  con- 
tain 80  per  cent  of  water,  that  20  per  cent  may  be  con- 
sidered a  minimum,  and  40  per  cent  an  average  amount, 
it  is  no  wonder  that  various  results  are  obtained  from 
apparently  the  same  material.  Supposing  that  it  is  desir- 
able that  soap  for  lithographic  ink  should  consist  of 
stearate  of  soda  only,  there  is  little  chance  of  securing  it 
of  pure  quality,  when  various  samples  of  commercial 
soap  are  found  to  contain  the  following  substances: 
Glycerine;  silicate,  sulphate,  chloride  and  carbonate  of 
soda;  rosin;  gelatine;  fuller's  earth;  Cornish  clay; 


212  Practical  Text  Book 

ground  flints;  potter's  slip;  farina;  dextrine,  and  other 
substances. 

The  principal  object  of  the  soap  in  lithographic  ink  is 
to  render  the  other  ingredients  soluble  in  water ;  and  any 
considerable  quantity  beyond  that  will  be  of  doubtful 
benefit,  because  the  more  soap  the  ink  contains  the  more 
liable  it  is,  when  dissolved,  to  pass  from  the  state  of  a 
liquid  to  that  of  an  emulsion.  It  is  desirable,  then,  that 
the  soap  should  maintain  a  proper  proportion  to  the  other 
ingredients,  to  effect  which  it  must  have  the  water  re- 
moved from  it  by  drying. 

Cut  the  soap  into  thin  shavings  or  scrape  it  with  a 
piece  of  glass ;  set  it  upon  a  dish  before  the  fire,  or  on  the 
hob,  until  quite  dry.  A  cleaner  way  will  be  to  put  the 
shavings  into  an  earthenware  jar ;  set  that  in  a  saucepan 
of  water  and  allow  it  to  boil,  and  maintain  it  at  that  heat 
until  the  soap  is  quite  dry.  It  may  then  be  preserved  in 
corked  bottles  for  future  use.  Soap  for  chalk-making 
may  be  treated  in  the  same  way. 

Lithographic  Writing  and  Drawing  Ink. — Many 
recipes  for  this  ink  have  been  published  from  time  to 
time,  but  the  one  to  which  we  give  preference  is  one  of 
the  oldest  of  them,  having  been  published  in  France  about 
sixty  years  ago: 

Take  of  Tallow  4  oz. 

Wax   4  " 

Soap    4   " 

Shellac    4   " 

Fine  Paris  Black Quant,  stiff. 

This  recipe  makes  the  best  ink  we  have  ever  used  for 
drawing  on  stone,  though  for  transfer  paper  we  have 


of  Lithography.  213 

thought  we  have  improved  it  by  adopting  the  following 
proportions : 

Tallow   4  oz. 

Wax    ^5    " 

Soap    4  " 

Shellac   3   " 

Black About  half  the  quantity  used  for  stone. 

For  retouching  the  latter  ink  is  excellent,  as  it  will 
frequently  hold  firmly  to  the  stone,  if  only  well  washed, 
without  any  acidulous  preparation ;  not  that  this  course  is 
to  be  recommended,  it  being  mentioned  only  to  point  out 
the  quality  of  the  ink. 

Recipes  are  frequently  of  very  little  use  unless  accom- 
panied by  a  description  of  the  precise  manipulation;  and 
we  think  we  shall  be  able  to  point  out  a  mode  of  making 
lithographic  ink  that,  if  followed,  will  lead  to  success: 

Take  a  small  saucepan  (one  that  will  hold  a  quart  will 
do  for  the  above  quantity)  and  fit  a  handle  of  wood  inside 
its  iron  one,  so  that  it  may  be  about  a  foot  longer.  This 
will  enable  the  operator  to  have  command  of  it  when  its 
ordinary  handle  becomes  too  hot.  Make  another  wooden 
handle  12.  inches  long,  and  fit  it  to  the  handle  already  upon 
the  lid  in  such  a  manner  that  it  may,  when  on  the  sauce- 
pan, project  horizontally.  If  the  flame  in  burning  the  ink 
should  become  too  high,  it  may  be  removed  from  the  fire, 
and  by  means  of  the  handle  last  described  the  lid  may  be 
put  on  without  fear  of  burning  the  fingers,  and  the  flame 
extinguished  by  cutting  off  the  source  of  oxygen — the 
external  air — without  which  it  does  not  burn.  These 
simple  contrivances  will  render  the  operation  a  safe  one 
with  persons  of  ordinary  care  and  intelligence,  and  will 


214  Practical  Text  Book 

enable  them  to  devote  their  attention  more  satisfactorily 
to  the  ink  manufacture.  Put  any  kind  of  oil  or  rough  fat 
into  the  saucepan  and  heat  it  until  its  tin  lining  becomes 
melted,  when  it  and  the  oil  may  be  poured  away  together ; 
or  the  saucepan  may  be  gradually  brought  to  a  red  heat 
and  the  tin  burned  away.  We  prefer  the  first  method. 

The  fire  for  ink-making  should  be  a  clear  one,  yet  not 
low,  as  the  operation  will  require  a  considerable  time ; 
putting  on  new  coals  would  perhaps  cause  a  flame  to  play 
around  the  saucepan  and  set  fire  to  its  contents  at  an  in- 
convenient moment. 

Put  into  the  saucepan  the  tallow  and  wax,  and  when 
melted  throw  in  the  soap  a  little  at  a  time.  Contrary  to 
the  teaching  of  some  manipulators,  we  can  assure  the 
student  that  it  is  not  at  all  essential  to  have  the  soap  pre- 
viously dried,  if  caution  be  observed  in  putting  it  in.  The 
principle  is  this:  Common  soap,  as  shown  in  the  last 
paragraph,  contains  a  considerable  quantity  of  water, 
which  is  readily  parted  with  at  its  boiling-point.  The 
tallow  and  wax  in  the  saucepan  soon  exceed  this  heat,  and 
when  the  soap  is  thrown  in,  its  water  is  violently  ex- 
pelled ;  and  if  too  much  be  added  at  a  time,  the  whole  may 
boil  over  into  the  fire  and  cause  mischief;  but  if  it  be 
thrown  in  in  small  pieces,  and  time  be  allowed  for  each 
piece  to  part  with  its  water  (which  may  be  known  by  the 
cessation  of  the  ebullition  it  at  first  causes),  its  solution 
in  the  wax  and  tallow  may  be  safely  performed.  When 
this  has  taken  place,  the  heat  must  be  continued  until  the 
dense  light-colored  fumes  passing  off  can  be  ignited  upon 
the  application  of  a  light.  If  the  flame  be  two  or  three 
inches  high,  the  saucepan  may  be  removed  from  the  fire, 
when  the  burning  will  most  probably  be  continued  with- 


of  Lithography.  215 

out  further  application  of  heat  to  the  bottom.  Stirring 
with  a  rod  will  facilitate  the  passing  off  of  the  vapor,  and 
will  raise  the  flame  higher.  If  the  quantity  herein  named 
be  used,  it  may  be  burnt  perhaps  for  half  an  hour;  but 
whether  a  longer  or  shorter  time  be  involved,  it  must 
burn  till  the  twelve  ounces  are  reduced  to  nearly  eight. 
This  may  easily  be  found  by  weighing  the  saucepan  at 
starting  and  afterward  making  an  allowance  for  that; 
weight  during  the  burning.  Arriving  at  this  stage,  put 
out  the  flame  and  add  the  shellac  a  little  at  a  time,  taking 
care  that  it  does  not  boil  over.  Add  now  the  black. 

We  do  not  allow  the  mixture  to  ignite  after  the  shellac 
and  black  have  been  added,  because  it  is  apt  to  form  a 
carbonaceous  crust  on  the  top.  If  afterward  it  is  found, 
as  it  probably  will  be,  that  the  burning  has  not  been  con- 
tinued long  enough,  it  may  be  again  heated,  and  the  effect 
estimated  by  observing  the  density  of  the  light-colored 
vapor  passing  off. 

It  is  important  that  the  black  should  be  ground.  This 
cannot  be  easily  done  with  any  of  the  ingredients  used  for 
the  ink,  but  if  it  be  ground  in  turpentine  and  cautiously 
added  to  the  ink,  the  heat  will  vaporize  the  turpentine, 
whose  place  will  then  be  taken  by  the  other  molten  ingre- 
dients, whereas  if  it  were  added  in  the  state  of  dry  pow- 
der there  would  be  considerable  difficulty  in  properly  dif- 
fusing it  throughout  the  mass.  Good  lithographic  print- 
ing ink,  in  the  same  condition  as  bought  from  the  maker, 
may  be  used  for  this  purpose  if  an  allowance  be  made  for 
the  small  quantity  of  varnish  with  which  it  is  ground. 

Considerable  difference  of  opinion  appears  to  exist  as 
to  the  amount  of  black  to  be  used.  On  reference  to  for- 
mulae in  our  possession,  we  find  it  variously  stated  at 


216  Practical  Text  Book 

from  one-sixth  to  one-twentieth  of  the  whole.  The  fol- 
lowing considerations  may  decide  the  matter :  First.  All 
blacks  are  not  equally  powerful.  Second.  Ink  for  use  on 
stone  may  have  more  than  that  for  use  upon  transfer 
paper.  Third.  Ink  with  little  black  makes  purer  and  finer 
lines  with  the  ruling-pen  than  that  which  has  much. 
Fourth.  Ink  for  transfer  paper  should  show  a  gloss  when 
it  becomes  dry  in  the  saucer,  and  the  color  of  a  thin  solu- 
tion should  be  brown  rather  than  gray.  In  practice  it  is 
better  to  err  on  the  side  of  putting  too  little  than  too 
much  black,  because  the  former  can  easily  be  remedied. 

The  ink,  having  been  brought  to  this  stage,  requires 
now  to  be  tested  to  determine  whether  it  is  sufficiently 
burnt,  and  we  believe  we  can  claim  the  credit  of  being  the 
first  to  draw  attention  to,  if  not  to  discover,  a  simple 
method  for  determining  this  important  point.  Ink  that  is 
not  sufficiently  burnt  becomes  thick  and  slimy  on  standing 
for  two  or  three  hours  after  mixing  with  water,  but  our 
method  shows  at  once  whether  it  is  burnt  enough.  Place 
about  a  grain  or  so  on  a  saucer,  and  drop  upon  it  a  little 
distilled  water;  watch  it  for  a  few  seconds,  and  notice 
whether  the  ink  appears  to  become  lighter  in  color;  if  it 
does,  it  is  a  sign  that  the  burning  has  been  insufficient. 
Heat  again,  and  allow  the  white  fumes  to  pass  off  for  a 
few  minutes  without  catching  fire.  Try  the  ink  again. 
When  it  retains  its  blackness  upon  the  addition  of  water, 
we  have  found  that  it  will  also  keep  in  a  good  working 
state,  and  have  made  it  for  law-writing,  by  the  pint. 

The  ink,  having  been  proved,  may  now  be  cast  into 
sticks  for  convenient  use. 

Other  substances,  such  as  gum-mastic  and  Venice  tur- 
pentine, may  be  used  in  making  ink. 


of  Lithography. 


217 


Type  Rd-transfer  Ink — or  Ink  for  Stone-to-Stone  Re- 
transfers. — Melt  two  ounces  of  lithographic  writing  ink 
in  a  saucepan  over  the  fire.  While  this  is  melting  mix 
two  ounces  of  litho.  printing  ink  with  two  ounces  of  var- 
nish, add  it  to  the  writing  ink,  and  well  mix  the  whole 
while  it  is  hot.  This  may  be  set  aside  for  use,  and  will 
keep  indefinitely. 

Ink  for  the  Dabbing  Style. — This  may  be  made  as  the 
last,  with  the  varnish  omitted. 

Plate  Transfer  Ink. — The  making  of  re-transfer  ink 
for  taking  impressions  from  copper  plates  is  conducted  in 
the  same  manner  as  that  for  writing  and  drawing. 

Lithographic  Crayons. — These  are  made  in  precisely 
the  same  manner  as  the  ink,  and  may  even  be  made  of  the 
same  materials  if  they  are  burnt  sufficiently  hard  for  use 
in  drawing.  A  good,  useful  chalk  that  will  keep  well  can 
be  made  from  equal  parts  of  wax  and  dry  soap. 

Crayons  may  be  cast  in  the  flat  cake  and  then  cut  up 
with  a  saw  or  hot  knife  into  square  pencils,  but  they  are 
better  cast  in  a  grooved  box  similar  to  a  druggist's  pill- 
machine,  and  pressure  applied  while  hot. 

Crayons  may  be  well  kept  in  wide-mouthed  bottles 
tightly  corked. 

SENEFELDER'S  COMPOSITIONS  FOR  CRAYONS 


No. 

Black 

Soap 

Wax 

Tallow 

Shellac 

Spermaceti 

1 

2 

6 

4 

— 

— 

—      1 

2 

2 

4 

8 

— 

— 

— 

3 

2 

4 

4 

— 



4 

4 

2 

4 

8 

— 

— 

4 

•o 
-  M 

5 

3 

5 

8 

— 

4 

— 

6 

3 

5 

8 

2 

4 

— 

7 

3 

6 

8 

4 

— 

— 

218  Practical  Text  Book 

Lithographic  Varnish. — Put  two  quarts  of  the  best 
linseed  oil  into  a  saucepan  large  enough  to  hold  a  gallon. 
The  lid  should  have  a  long  handle,  so  that  it  may  be  put 
on  the  vessel  with  safety  while  the  contents  are  burning. 
Set  it  on  a  clear  fire  until  white  fumes  arise.  Apply  a 
lighted  paper  occasionally  until  these  fumes  catch  fire  and 
burn.  It  must  now  be  watched  carefully,  so  that  the 
flame  shall  not  become  unmanageable.  If  the  flame  goes 
down  a  little,  it  may  be  increased  by  stirring  with  an  iron 
rod.  If  it  shows  a  tendency  to  rise  too  high,  it  may  be 
removed  from  the  fire,  when  it  will  still  continue  to  burn. 
If  it  rise  too  high  and  threaten  to  become  dangerous,  the 
lid  must  be  put  on,  when  the  flame,  being  deprived  of  the 
access  of  air,  will  be  extinguished.  If  the  flame  has  been 
very  high,  the  lid  should  be  kept  on  long  enough  to  allow 
the  whole  of  the  oil  to  cool  down  a  little,  for  if  it  were 
merely  extinguished  and  reopened  it  would  take  fire  spon- 
taneously and  flare  up  nearly  as  much  as  before. 

The  oil  is  burnt  until  it  becomes  one-sixth  less.  A 
thick  slice  of  bread  is  now  put  in  and  moved  about  with 
a  fork  until  it  is  browned.  It  is  then  allowed  to  burn  a 
little  more,  it  being  set  on  the  fire  again  to  revive  the 
flame  if  the  latter  has  become  dull.  A  second  slice  is 
now  put  in  and  cooked  in  a  similar  manner.  This  pro- 
ceeding is  said  to  free  the  oil  from  its  more  greasy  par- 
ticles. 

One-fourth  of  the  oil  may  now  be  taken  away.  If  on 
becoming  cold  it  is  of  a  syrupy  nature,  it  may  be  set 
aside  for  thin  varnish. 

The  rest  having  been  burnt  again  for  a  short  time,  a 
third  part  of  the  rest  is  to  be  taken  away.  This  is  medium 
varnish. 


of  Lithography.  219 

The  remainder  is  again  burnt,  and  one-half  of  it  set 
aside  for  strong  varnish. 

The  fourth  portion  is  again  burnt,  and  when  cold  it 
should  be  thick  and  ropy. 

If  these  varnishes  are  not  as  strong  as  expected,  they 
may  be  burnt  again  until  they  become  of  the  required 
consistency. 

It  is  necessary  to  take  every  precaution  to  guard 
against  accident.  The  operation  should  not  be  carried  on 
in  an  ordinary  apartment,  but  in  a  back  kitchen  or  other 
place  where  there  are  few  things  about  likely  to  catch  fire 
or  be  spoiled  by  an  accident. 

Transfer  Paper. — In  an  early  chapter  we  explained 
the  general  nature  of  transfer  paper,  but  now  we  give  a 
few  recipes. 

In  making  papers  for  transferring,  care  should  be 
taken  to  select  the  proper  material,  so  that  when  coated 
with  the  transfer  composition  each  paper  will  be  best 
suited  for  the  work  for  which  it  is  intended. 

For  autographic  work  a  good,  smooth  bond  paper 
should  be  used.  This  same  paper  can  be  used  for 
typewritten  work,  the  only  change  necessary  being  the 
use  of  a  black  ribbon  to  which  some  transferring  ink  and 
a  drop  or  two  of  lavender  oil  have  been  added. 

For  transferring  from  engraved  stones,  the  best  paper 
is  India  or  Japanese  paper,  which  has  a  pliable  body,  is 
readily  dampened,  and  enters  into  the  engraved  parts  of 
the  stone  under  moderate  pressure. 

Label, — For  ordinary  label  work,  French  folio  is  best. 
It  is  a  closely  woven  and  rolled  paper,  and  in  color  work 
will  not  distort  easily. 


220  Practical  Text  Book 

Many  labels  must  be  got  out  at  moderate  cost  and  on 
cheap  grades  of  paper,  which  oftentimes  will  stretch  or 
shrink  in  the  press  during  the  printing  of  the  colors.  In 
such  cases  transparent  transfer  paper  is  of  much  value, 
as  it  allows  the  pasting  up  of  impressions  to  a  sheet  of  the 
run  of  the  steam  press.  To  insure  a  perfect  register, 
even  on  a  cheap  grade  of  stock,  tracing  transfer  paper 
should  be  used,  which  is  made  of  French  tracing  paper 
covered  with  the  same  transfer  solution  used  on  the 
papers  previously  mentioned. 

Type. — For  making  transfers  from  type  on  an  ordi- 
nary type  press,  use  lightweight  coated  stock  covered 
with  a  firm,  smooth  coat  similar  to  paper  first  mentioned 
above.  It  frequently  happens  in  the  making  of  type  trans- 
fer impressions  scraps  of  India  transfer  paper  are  sent  to 
the  type-press  room.  It  is  evident  that  if  a  soft-bodied 
paper  be  used  for  that  purpose  the  type  impressions  will 
be  indented  in  the  paper  to  a  greater  extent  than  if  a 
hard-bodied  paper  be  used.  Experience  proves  that  even 
with  the  greatest  care  transfer  work  spreads  more  than 
original  work.  Therefore,  if  a  type  transfer  impression 
is  not  pulled  as  sharply,  clearly  and  with  the  least  possible 
indentation  to  the  transfer  paper,  the  resulting  transfer 
will  bear  a  thick,  heavy  appearance  when  compared  with 
an  impression  on  paper  from  the  same  types. 

Transfer  Composition. — A  good  coating  for  transfer 
paper  can  be  made  from  four  ounces  of  starch,  eight 
ounces  of  French  glue  or  gelatine,  both  of  which  have 
been  soaked  in  sufficient  water  to  thoroughly  soften 
them.  Sixteen  ounces  of  boiling  water  should  be  poured 
slowly  into  the  starch,  stirring  same  steadily.  When 


of  Lithography.  221 

thoroughly  cooked,  add  first  the  French  glue  or  gelatine, 
then  six  ounces  of  glycerine  to  produce  papers  number 
one,  three,  four  and  five.  To  transfer  paper  for  en- 
graved work,  use  ten  ounces  of  glycerine.  A  drop  of 
gum,  with  a  little  coloring  matter,  will  show  which  side 
of  the  paper  carries  the  coating.  The  addition  of  the 
white  of  one  or  two  eggs,  thoroughly  beaten,  to  this 
composition  will  improve  its  transferring  qualities. 

In  practice  the  imported  paper  and  the  French  folio 
paper  are  dampened,  previous  to  their  use,  on  the  back 
with  a  mixture  of  one  ounce  of  glycerine  to  two,  three 
or  four  ounces  of  water,  which  will  keep  the  transfer 
coating  of  the  paper  moist  from  twelve  to  twenty- four 
hours.  This  dampening  solution  must  vary  according  to 
weather  conditions,  as  on  a  dry  day  more  glycerine  is 
necessary  to  keep  the  paper  in  a  moist  condition  than  on 
a  damp  day.  Experience  can  alone  determine  this.  In 
all  large  establishments  a  supply  of  wet,  medium  and  dry 
papers  are  always  kept  on  hand.  Many  varieties  of  the 
coating  composition  can  be  tried  and  worked  successfully, 
but  the  use  of  one  simple  and  sure  composition  is  pref- 
erable to  too  many  experiments. 

Columbia  paper,  which  is  made  in  two  grades,  moist 
and  dry,  which  is  exceptionally  useful  and  also  reliable 
for  fine  color  transferring,  is  imported  from  Germany. 
It  is  a  machine-made  product,  uniform  in  quality  through- 
out, and,  for  that  reason,  superior  to  a  hand-prepared 
paper.  For  all  practical  purposes,  however,  the  papers 
enumerated  above,  which  can  be  easily  prepared  with 
very  little  trouble  in  any  establishment,  will  prove  their 
value  and  usefulness. 


222  Practical  Text  Book 

Transfer  Paper  for  Warm  Stones. — Make  a  size  by 
boiling  parchment  cuttings.  Let  it  be  so  strong  that  when 
cold  it  will  be  firm  jelly.  Grind  dry  flake-white  with 
water,  add  it  to  the  size  after  warming  it,  well  mix,  and 
rub  through  a  sieve.  The  proportion  of  flake-white  may 
vary  with  circumstances.  If  too  much  be  used,  pens  will 
not  work  upon  it  properly,  and  probably  the  finest  lines 
will  fail  in  transferring.  Coat  the  paper  with  the  com- 
position with  a  full  brush,  or  use  a  sponge,  and  give  two 
coats — the  second  when  the  first  is  dry.  If  for  writing, 
the  paper  may  be  thin;  if  for  drawing,  it  should  be 
thicker,  using  drawing  paper  for  very  large  subjects.  The 
stone  for  this  paper  should  be  quite  warm. 

Paper  for  Cold  Stones. — Take  four  ounces  of  starch 
and  one  ounce  of  best  pale-colored  glue.  Break  the  glue 
and  put  it  in  cold  water  over  night  to  soak.  Mix  the 
starch  with  a  little  cold  water,  and  then  pour  boiling 
water  upon  it  until  it  thickens,  stirring  it  all  the  time. 
Now  put  in  the  glue,  and  boil  over  a  slow  fire  or  gas-jet; 
brush  over  the  paper  while  warm.  This  may  be  used  on 
tracing  paper,  printing  paper  or  writing  paper. 

Coloring  Transfer  Paper. — The  addition  of  coloring 
matter  to  transfer  paper  is  for  the  more  ready  determina- 
tion of  the  coated  side.  Gamboge  is  generally  used,  but 
any  kind  of  coloring  matter  will  answer  the  purpose.  We 
somewhat  prefer  a  light  pink  tint,  because  that  is  distin- 
guishable by  artificial  light,  while  a  yellow  is  scarcely 
visible.  Rose-pink,  or  a  solution  of  cochineal  in  am- 
monia, answers  this  purpose. 

Glazing  Transfer  Paper. — The  paper  may  be  pulled 
through  the  litho.  press,  face  down,  on  a  smooth  stone; 


of  Lithography.  223 

but  it  is  much  better  to  send  it  to  a  hot-presser  to  have  it 
properly  rolled. 

Hanging  Transfer  Paper  Up  to  Dry, — Put  lines  across 
a  room,  about  nine  inches  apart.  Lay  the  wet  paper  over 
T-shaped  piece  of  wood,  and  place  it  on  the  lines  neatly 
and  cleanly. 

Scotch  Re-transfer  Paper  for  Plate. — The  recipe  for 
this  paper  has  been  given  in  many  works  treating  of 
lithography,  but,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  always  un- 
accompanied by  the  details  of  manipulation,  without 
which  the  formula  is  comparatively  worthless. 

Take  of  plaster  of  Paris  and  best  seconds  flour  equal 
parts  by  weight,  to  which  add  sufficient  coloring  matter  to 
be  able  to  know  one  side  from  the  other  either  by  day- 
light or  artificial  light.  We  recommend  something  of  a 
red  or  green  hue,  because  that  can  be  more  easily  distin- 
guished by  gaslight  than  a  yellow  tint. 

To  Prepare  the  Plaster. — In  this  lies  the  secret  of 
success.  Obtain  the  best  fine  plaster  from  the  manu- 
facturer of  plaster  of  Paris  images,  etc.  That  to  be 
found  in  country  towns  in  use  by  plasterers  and  others  is 
usually  so  coarse  as  to  be  worthless  for  this  purpose. 
Put  half  a  pound  of  plaster  into  a  basin  that  will  hold 
about  two  quarts ;  pour  upon  it  a  little  water  and  mix  it 
up  with  a  wood  spatula  until  of  the  consistency  of  cream. 
If  it  were  now  let  alone  it  would  soon  set  into  a  hard, 
stone-like  mass,  but  this  must  be  prevented  by  constant 
stirring  and  the  addition  of  small  quantities  of  water 
whenever  the  plaster  shows  a  tendency  to  thicken.  This 
constant  stirring  and  watering  will  occupy  half  an  hour, 
by  which  time  the  "setting"  quality  of  the  plaster  will  be 


224  Practical  Text  Book 

destroyed,  and  may  be  left  while  the  paste  is  made  from 
the  flour.  Mix  half  a  pound  of  flour  into  a  smooth  paste 
with  a  little  water,  then  add  sufficient  water  to  make  it 
into  paste  of  ordinary  consistency  when  boiled.  Set  it  on 
the  fire  while  cold,  stir  it  constantly  until  it  boils,  and  let 
it  boil  for  five  minutes.  The  saucepan  should  be  large 
enough  to  hold  twice  as  much,  and  the  fire  a  slow  one,  or 
the  paste  may  be  expected  to  boil  over.  If  this  should 
happen,  some  will  be  lost  and  the  proportions  destroyed, 
when  it  will  be  better  to  make  a  new  lot  than  to  run  the 
risk  of  spoiling  the  transfer  paper. 

The  paste  is  now  to  be  added  to  the  plaster  and  well 
mixed,  after  which  it  must  be  passed  through  a  piece  of 
cloth  or  fine  sieve  (the  i2O-hole  sieve  for  sifting  graining 
sand  will  do  admirably)  by  putting  in  a  little  at  a  time 
and  rubbing  it  through  with  a  stumpy  hog-hair  brush. 
When  all  has  been  passed  through,  the  composition  may 
be  applied  to  the  paper  with  a  large  flat  camel-hair  brush 
about  four  inches  wide.  If  any  difficulty  is  experienced 
in  spreading  it  evenly,  it  may  be  too  thick,  and  can  be 
diluted  with  water  to  a  proper  working  consistency,  a 
matter  to  be  determined  by  experience.  Our  practice  is 
to  brush  it  on  in  one  direction,  and  then  to  lightly  brush 
it  at  right  angles  until  it  presents  a  uniform  layer  of 
about  the  thickness  of  thin  cardboard.  We  recommend 
the  beginner  to  use  a  tablespoon  or  other  similar  con- 
venient measure  for  measuring  an  equal  quantity  for 
each  sheet ;  by  adopting  this  method  sufficient  composition 
may  be  applied  at  one  operation.  Some  recommend  two 
coatings  to  be  given  with  a  sponge,  but  a  sponge  is  not  at 
all  suitable  for  laying  it  on ;  something  is  required  that 


of  Lithography.  225 

will  glide  over  the  surface  and  leave  a  body  underneath. 
If  some  suitable  coloring  matter  be  used,  it  will  ma- 
terially  assist  the  beginner  by  enabling  him  to  see  whether 
the  composition  is  laid  on  evenly.  The  sheet,  having 
been  coated,  is  to  be  hung  on  a  line  to  dry  as  in  making 
other  transfer  paper.  A  thin  demy  printing  paper,  about 
fifteen  pounds  to  the  ream,  will  be  good  enough  for  this 
purpose. 

Red  and  Black  Tracing  Papers. — The  preparation  of 
these  is  very  simple.  Tissue  paper  is  a  much  better 
foundation  than  tracing  paper,  the  varnish  of  which  is 
apt  to  unite  with  the  coloring  matter  and  prevent  its 
transference  to  the  stone.  Lay  out  the  paper  upon  a 
smooth  board,  sift  upon  it  some  powdered  red  chalk  or 
black  lead  and  rub  it  in,  being  careful  not  to  tear  the 
paper;  when  the  paper  is  well  covered,  the  superfluous 
color  may  be  first  removed  with  a  hard  brush  and  finally 
wiped  with  a  cloth.  Its  effect  may  now  be  tried  on  stone 
or  paper.  If  it  is  too  dark,  more  color  may  be  removed 
with  a  cloth. 

Red  chalk  paper  should  be  used  for  lithography,  and 
blacklead  paper  for  designs,  etc.,  on  paper,  because  the 
blacklead  can  be  removed  with  india-rubber,  though  the 
red  chalk  may  be  removed  by  bread-crumbs. 

Chrome  yellow  may  be  used  for  paper  employed  in 
tracing  on  black  grounds  in  engraving  on  stone ;  when  the 
color  of  the  ground  is  red,  fine  Paris  black  makes  the  best 
tracing  paper  (see  Engraving  on  Stone). 

Transfer  Papers  for  Re-transferring  Color  Work. — 
The  Scotch  transfer  paper  will  answer  almost  every  pur- 
pose for  re-transferring  where  correct  register  is  not  re- 


226  Practical  Text  Book 

quired,  as  in  the  multiplication  of  color  subjects.  For 
this  purpose  thin  foreign  post  paper  may  be  coated  with 
starch  paste  and  afterward  well  rolled  when  dry,  so  as  to 
restore  its  semi-transparency  and  render  it  in  other  re- 
spects suitable  for  the  purpose.  Stout  tracing  paper  may 
be  employed  with  the  same  treatment  where  a  more 
transparent  paper  is  required.  Copying  letter  paper  may 
also  be  employed.  When  the  main  object,  of  seeing  the 
work  sufficiently  well  through  the  paper,  is  secured,  it 
only  remains  to  give  such  a  coating  as  will  take  a  good 
impression  and  stick  sufficiently  to  the  wet  stone. 

Transfer  Paper  for  Chalk  Drawings. — Stout  printing 
paper  is  thickly  coated  with  the  Scotch  transfer  composi- 
tion, to  which  a  little  glue  has  been  added.  After  drying, 
it  is  rolled  on  the  stippled  plates,  or  pulled  once  through 
the  press  under  heavy  pressure  on  a  grained  stone. 

Porcelain  or  Enamel  Paper. — This  paper  is  employed 
in  printing  where  brilliancy  of  effect  is  sought,  whether 
for  color  or  bronze  work.  Although  we  do  not  wish  to 
recommend  its  manufacture  by  the  printer,  it  will  be  as 
well  for  him  to  understand  something  of  its  make  and 
properties. 

Ordinary  enamel  paper  is  prepared  by  brushing  over 
common  printing  paper  a  mixture  of  flake  or  Kremnitz 
white  with  fine  light-colored  glue  and  a  little  alum.  The 
glue  must  be  only  sufficient  to  prevent  the  white  from 
peeling  off  the  paper  during  printing.  If  too  much  were 
used,  the  paper  would  be  hard  and  non-absorbent.  If 
zinc-white  be  used  instead  of  the  lead-white,  it  will  be 
less  liable  to  change  color  in  impure  air.  The  mixture 
may  consist  of  4  oz.  of  Russian  glue  dissolved  in  3  quarts 


of  Lithography.  227 

of  water;  in  this  grind  il/2  Ibs.  of  zinc-white  and  pass 
through  a  sieve.  Apply  two  coats.  When  dry,  the  paper 
may  be  polished  by  brushing  with  a  somewhat  hard  hair- 
brush, and  subsequently  further  glazed  by  rolling  on  pol- 
ished metal  plates. 

We  believe  that  sulphate  of  baryta  is  sometimes  used 
instead  of  zinc-white,  and  that  a  mixture  of  white,  turp- 
entine, and  oil  varnish  is  also  used  for  a  similar  purpose. 
Enamel  cards  are  damped  by  placing  them  between 
sheets  of  damp  paper. 

Preserving  the  Drawings  on  Stone  after  Printing. — 
It  is  too  often  the  practice  in  lithographic  printing  offices 
to  take  but  little  notice  of  the  stone  when  the  first  order 
from  it  has  been  executed,  but  if  there  is  only  a  remote 
chance  of  its  being  required  again,  means  ought  to  be 
taken,  as  far  as  possible,  to  insure  that  the  stone  be  in 
fair  printing  condition  when  another  edition  is  called  for. 
Drawings  may  be  preserved  by  using  the  following  ink : 
Ordinary  printing-ink,  as  bought   from  the  ink- 
maker    2  oz. 

Tallow 2.  oz. 

Beeswax    4  oz. 

The  tallow  and  wax  are  to  be  melted  over  the  fire, 
and  the  printing-ink  added  a  little  at  a  time  until  dis- 
solved. 

When  about  to  be  used,  a  small  quantity  must  be 
ground  with  turpentine  until  of  the  consistency  of  ordin- 
ary printing  ink.  Wash  out  the  drawing  with  the  wash- 
ing-out mixture,  or  with  turpentine  only,  and  roll  in  with 
the  above  ink  until  the  drawing  shows  clearly,  using  a 
small  quantity  of  gum  on  the  stone  to  keep  it  quite  clean. 


228  Practical  Text  Book 

Set  the  stone  aside  for  a  few  hours  until  the  turpentine 
has  quite  evaporated,  and  then  gum  in  with  gum-water 
containing  carbolic  acid. 

Another  Method:  Roll  the  stone  with  ordinary  print- 
ing ink.  Dust  with  powdered  resin  and  allow  time  for  the 
ink  and  resin  to  incorporate  and  become  hard.  Take  a 
spoilt  impression  of  the  job,  and  brush  over  the  back  of  it 
with  gum-water;  lay  its  gummed  side  to  the  stone  and 
pull  through  the  press.  Gumming  the  paper  instead  of 
the  stone  will  more  effectually  exclude  the  air,  and  thus 
prevent  "oxidation"  of  the  ink,  for  which  "drying"  is 
only  another  name.  The  resin,  having  no  tendency  to 
dry,  will  very  materially  assist  the  preservation  of  the  ink 
in  such  a  condition  as  to  be  soluble  in  turpentine. 

If  the  stone  is  to  be  laid  by  in  a  very  dry  place,  the 
addition  of  a  little  glycerine  to  the  gum  will  prevent  its 
cracking.  It  is  better  than  sugar,  molasses,  etc. 

Rolling  Up  Drawings  that  Have  Been  Laid  Aside  For 
a  Long  Time. — First  try  the  effect  of  turpentine  mixed 
with  a  little  oil  after  the  gum  has  been  moistened.  If 
this  does  not  remove  the  old  ink,  gum  the  stone  again, 
dab  it  over  with  the  damping  cloth  so  as  to  prevent  the 
gum  overlying  the  ink  and  allow  it  to  dry.  Turpentine 
may  now  be  permitted  to  lie  upon  the  stone  until  the  ink 
is  dissolved.  If  turpentine  be  ineffective  in  softening  the 
ink,  benzoline  or  oil  of  tar  may  be  tried.  It  must  be 
understood  that  no  water  be  employed,  so  that  the  gum 
remains  undissolved  and  so  thoroughly  to  protect  the  un- 
inked  portion  of  the  stone  from  receiving  any  greasy  mat- 
ter. If  the  ink  still  resists  the  action  of  the  solvent  fric- 
tion may  be  employed.  The  solvent  may  be  employed 


of  Lithography.  229 

with  coarse  flannel,  and  may  even  be  assisted  by  the  addi- 
tion of  some  abrading  material,  such  as  chalk,  tripoli, 
rouge,  or  Indian  red.  These  will  have  little  or  no  effect 
on  the  gum,  and  when  sufficient  ink  is  removed,  the  stone 
may  be  washed  with  oil  and  turps,  the  gum  dissolved 
with  water,  and  the  stone  rolled  up  in  the  usual  way. 

Transferring  from  Music  Plates. — Music  is  usually 
engraved  by  punching  the  forms  of  the  notes,  etc.,  on  soft 
white  metal  plates,  which  will  not  stand  the  heat  em- 
ployed in  taking  transfers  from  copper  and  steel  plates. 
As  the  music  contains  no  fine  lines,  it  is  unnecessary  to 
employ  the  hard  ink  used  for  finer  work.  The  music 
plates  may  be  filled  in  while  cold  with  the  ink  used  for 
pulling  re-transfers  from  stone,  and  wiped  from  the  sur- 
face with  rags  in  the  usual  way.  The  scum  left  on  the 
plate  will  be  considerable,  and  if  the  impression  were 
pulled  upon  the  ordinary  transfer  paper,  would  give  much 
trouble  when  transferred  to  stone. 

To  Prevent  Set-off  on  Stone. — Anti-Damping  Fluid. 
— When  it  is  necessary  to  print  two  or  more  colors  in 
succession  without  time  being  allowed  for  drying,  the 
color  first  printed  sets  off  upon  the  stone.  If  it  be  a  black 
or  similar  color  followed  by  a  delicate  one,  such  as  bright 
red,  the  black  set-off  will  be  taken  up  by  and  soil  the  ink 
upon  the  roller.  This  may  be  much  modified  or  alto- 
gether prevented  by  adding  to  the  damping  water  some 
substance  which  retains  moisture  a  long  time,  such  as 
sugar,  common  salt,  glycerine,  chloride  of  lime,  etc.  These 
may  be  used  separately  or  in  combination  with  each  other, 
or  with  gum. 

Backing  Stones. — When  stones  less  than  two  inches 


230  Practical  Text  Book 

thick,  or  even  thicker  ones  when  large,  are  used  in  the 
press,  they  are  apt  to  break  when  much  pressure  is  em- 
ployed. Such  stones  are  best  "backed"  with  slabs  or 
slate  or  other  lithographic  stones.  It  is  performed  as 
follows : 

Mix  up  ordinary  plaster  of  Paris  to  the  consistency  of 
very  thin  paste,  spread  this  upon  the  slab,  and  place  the 
stone  upon  it.  Move  it  about  until  it  is  felt  to  rest  pretty 
firmly  upon  its  seat.  By  this  time  much  of  the  plaster 
will  be  squeezed  out  from  between  the  stones,  and  should 
be  neatly  plastered  round  the  base  of  the  upper  stone,  so 
as  to  better  secure  it.  If  the  plaster  be  new  the  stone 
may  be  used  in  the  press  in  about  an  hour. 

Enlarging  and  Reducing  Processes. — There  is  no 
doubt  but  that  the  photo-lithographic  process  is  the  most 
efficient  means  of  obtaining  copies  for  lithography  in  al- 
tered dimensions.  There  is,  however,  another  process 
which  possesses  advantages  of  its  own,  and  which,  un- 
like photography,  can  be  carried  on  at  any  time.  It  will 
be  easily  understood,  if  a  sheet  of  thin  india-rubber  be 
prepared  with  an  elastic  transfer  composition,  and  an  im- 
pression be  made  upon  it  in  transfer-ink,  that  by  suit- 
able mechanism  it  may  be  stretched  to  a  larger  size,  and 
while  at  that  size  it  may  be  retransferred  to  stone.  In  like 
manner,  if  the  india-rubber  be  stretched  before  the  im- 
pression is  taken  upon  it,  it  may  be  allowed  to  contract  to 
a  smaller  size  before  it  is  re-transferred. 

Quick-drying  Stopping-out  Varnish. — Resin  dissolved 
in  common  benzoline  makes  a  good  stopping-out  varnish 
for  use  in  etched  tint  making,  or  for  any  other  purpose 
where  it  is  necessary  to  protect  the  work  during  etching 


of  Lithography.  231 

with  strong  acid.     It  dries  very  quickly — so  quickly,  in 
deed,  that  the  stone  may  be  etched  a  few  minutes  after  it 
is  laid  on,  and  it  is  easily  dissolved  by  turpentine  during 
the  washing-out  process. 

Economy  of  Rags. — Rags  are  used  in  washing  out  the 
black  ink  previously  to  rolling  up  the  subject  in  color, 
and  unless  economy  be  practised,  much  more  will  be  used 
than  is  really  necessary.  They  may  be  greatly  econo- 
mized by  judicious  use.  Cut  them  into  convenient  size 
pieces.  The  stone  should  be  sprinkled  with  a  little  turpen- 
tine and  the  whole  of  the  ink  dissolved  before  the  rag  is 
used  to  absorb  it.  The  stone  is  then  sprinkled  again,  and 
a  second  rag  taken  to  wipe  it  with. 


Lithographers,  Please  Note: 

THAT  WE  ARE  CARRYING  THE 

LARGEST  STOCK  OF 

HIGH     GRADE 

LITHO  STONES 

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You  Inspection  Invited 

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Inks 

Bronze  Powders,  etc. 
CENTRAL  COMMERCIAL  COMPANY 

C.  R.  SHATTUCK,  General  Manager 

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The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co. 


29  Warren  St.,  New  York 
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328  Dearborn  St.,  Chicago 
Factories,  Rutherford,  N.  J. 


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Everything  for  the  Lithographer 


Telephone  6492  Barclay 


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59  PARK   PLACE     -    -    -      NEW  YORK 

Estimates  Subject  to  Change  After  Reasonable  Time 
Not  Responsible  (or  Delays  Beyond  Our  Control 


Sketches  and  Art  Lithographic  The    Only    Art-Litho    Atelier 

Drawings  of  All  Kinds     :     :     :  with  an  International  Reputation 


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29  Warren  St.,  New  York  328  Dearborn  St.,  Chicago 

150  N.  Fourth  St.,  Philadelphia  Factories,  RulSerford.  N.  J. 

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For  Stone,  Aluminum,  Zinc  and 
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Everything  for  the  Lithographer 


Consult 

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150  Nassau  Street  New  York  City 


The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co. 


29  Warren  St.,  New  York 
150  N.  Fourth  St..  Philadelphia 


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Trade   Directory   for   Machinery 
and   Supplies 

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The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,   New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

Bronze   Powders 
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Bronze   Sieves 
The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,   New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

Black  Mixers 
The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

Coating   Machines 
The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

Color   Mixers 
The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

Colortype    Inks 
The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,  New  York.  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

Copper    and    Zinc    Plates 
The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

Damping    Machines 
The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,   New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

Embossing  or   Roughing  Machines 
The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,   New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

Engravers'    Proving    Ink 
The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,   New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

Gold    Ink 
The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,   New  York,   Philadejphia,  Chicago 

Ink  Mills 
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Lacquering  Machines 
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l.irlit  driii-k  Inks 
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Lithographic   Hand   Presses 
The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,   New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

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The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

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The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

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The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

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The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

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The  Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co.,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago 

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Established   1855 


Bobt.  Mayer  &  Co, 

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Importers  or  Lithographic    Stones    and    Materials 

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HEADQUARTERS  FOR    STRICTLY   PURE 

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Established   1865 

C.  W.  H.  CARTER 

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"K.    B."     BLANKS 

MADE      LIKE     A     BANK     NOTE 

Exclusive  Bonds  and  Stock  Certificates  are  made  with  the  use  of  these  blanks 
They  are  steel  engraved  and  printed  on  Crane's  Bond  Paper.  They  are  the  only 
line  of  steel  engraved  blanks  on  the  market.  Every  lithographer  should  have  them. 
Write  for  samples  and  prices. 

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are  the  sole  selling  agents  in  America  (or  all  products  of  the 
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quarters are  in  Munich,  and  the  Blattmetallrollen-Gesellschart  in 
Dresden,  makers  of  gold  cigarette  tips. 

If  you  want  Leaf  Metal  Bronze — Fine — Brilliant — - 
Durable — Greaseless,  and  Far  Reaching  in  Covering 
Power,  we  have  it. 

Why  not  use  the  same  Bronze  as  the  best  Litho- 
graphers in  Germany  ? 

Samples  submitted  and  prices  quoted  on  import  order  basis  or 
from  stock. 


Everything 
for  the  Lithographer 


J.  H.  &  G.  B.  SIEBOLD 

106-110  CENTRE  STREET 
NEW  YORK 


JOSEPH  E.   ROSENTHAL 

Established  25  Years 

Largest  Litho  Artist  Studio 
in  New  York  City 

413     BROADWAY 

Sketches  and  Drawings  on  Stone  of  Finest  Crayon  and  Stipple  Work 


CHARLES     WAGNER 

Lithographic  Press  Machinist 


inety  bought,  sold  and  exchanged. 
Lithographic  Rollers  of  all  kinds  carried  in  stock  or  made  to  order. 

587  HUDSON  ST.,  NEW  YORK  CITY 


EOWA«O  Root. 

PRQPRICTPR.L 


2OO  WILLIAM  ST.' 


METAL  PLATE  PRINTING 

A    Treatise    on    Printing   in    the   Lithographic 
Manner  from  Zinc  and  Aluminum  Plates 


Compiled,  arranged  and  edited  in  the  most  comprehensive 

manner,  in  the  office  of  the  Rational  Lithographer,  by 

WARREN  C.  BROWNE 


This  book,  which  contains  1 84  pages,  is  the  most 
comprehensive  text  book  ever  published.  It  covers  the  question 
of  lithographing  from  a  metal  plate — covers  it  fully  and 
plainly,  so  that  anybody  who  can  read  plain  English  can 
understand  it.  It  illustrates  every  make  of  offset  press  now 
on  the  market.  If  you  contemplate  the  introduction  of  an 
offset  press  at  any  time,  or  are  \  interested  in  the  progress  of 
lithography,  you  cannot  afford  to  be  without  this  book. 
<PRICE,  $2.00,  POSTPAID 


CONTENTS. 

Preparing  the  Plates;  Engraving  on  Metal  Plates; 
Preserving  the  Plates ;  Zinc  and  Aluminum  ;  Alterations  ; 
Transferring  on  Metal  Plates ;  Proving  ;  Transfer  Paper  ; 
Re-transferring;  Re-transferring  from  Type;  The  Offset 
Press ;  Illustrations  of  Offset  Presses  of  To-day  ;  The  Offset 
Process ;  Metal  Plate  Presswork ;  Photo-lithography ; 
Solutions,  Formulas,  etc. 

PUBLISHED   AND  FOR   SALE   BY 

THE   NATIONAL  LITHOGRAPHER 

ISO    NASSAU   STREET  NEW    YORK    CITY 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


APR  07  1Q5 


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A     000103643     3 


